As lawmakers representing the University of Connecticut’s campus in Storrs returned to Hartford Wednesday for the beginning of the 2026 legislative session, higher education was top of mind. Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Windham, and Rep. Gregory Haddad, D-Mansfield, were paying close attention as Gov. N ed Lamont laid out his budget and policy priorities in his State of the State speech to both chambers of the legislature midday Wednesday. For both lawmakers, funding for the state’s public colleges and universities wasn’t quite where they’d like it to be. “I was disappointed to learn this morning that the governor’s budget is probably still underfunding the University of Connecticut and higher education overall by tens of millions of dollars,” Flexer said. The Governor’s budget would reduce General Fund support for the University of Connecticut and its regional campuses from $268.2 million this fiscal year to $253.3 million in FY 2027. This would provide only about 85% of the support the university’s Board of Trustees is seeking. One of Flexer’s top priorities this year “is pushing for a restoration of that funding so that Connecticut can renew and go back to its commitment to fully funding public higher education in a way that hasn’t happened in the last year or two,” she said. UConn flagship campus in Storrs and regional campuses in Hartford, Waterbury, Stamford and Avery Point began last fiscal year with about $170 million in reserves, 10.2% of its operating budget. UConn’s Farmington-based health center held $297 million, which represented 18% of its $1.65 billion annual operating expense at that time. The governor and the Storrs delegation were aligned in their support for making higher education more affordable. They are looking to bolster state financial aid programs after the federal government announced it would cut the Direct PLUS loan program in July, an affordable option for students seeking graduate or professional degrees. Lamont’s capital budget included a $10 million bond authorization to support a new student loan opportunity for graduate students in Connecticut, which Haddad, the co-chair of the legislature’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, said he is prioritizing in this session.  “[The loan] really provides a lifeline to graduate students to be able to make sure that they can afford what it costs to get a graduate degree,” Haddad said.  Haddad said the committee is also planning an overhaul of the Promise program, an initiative to provide financial aid for first-generation low-income college students in Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury.  “We want to bolster what exists,” he said. “We want to see if we can add to the list of communities that provide Promise programs and then ultimately see if we can create a statewide Promise scholarship program for all students in Connecticut.”  ...read more read less