Gazette-Times reporter

Oregon State University's director of government relations, Jock Mills, called Tuesday's reversal of political control the "blue tsunami," and speculated, at least in Oregon, on the impact that Democratic control might have on higher education and OSU specifically.

Mills spoke Thursday at the monthly OSU Faculty Senate meeting.

"It's a great day to be a Beaver," Mills said, as there are now 11 OSU alums in Oregon legislative seats, up from nine in the last biennium. Whether those 11 have any sway on higher education decisions, Mills believes Sara Gelser's return to the Legislature may help higher education, especially if she's named to the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee.

Mills said the failures of statewide ballot Measures 41 and 48 were a relief to state-funded agencies and programs, including public education, because it would have cut state revenue significantly.

"Forty-one and 48 could have had a profound impact on us," he said.

Mills said the question now is with the defeat of those measures, is there a change in the way Oregonians are thinking about revenue and tax measures, or was the defeat a response to the perception that out-of-state interests were attempting to manipulate Oregon voters.

The budget request for higher education is currently being considered by the governor. The State Board of Higher Education has recommended a budget that is 25 percent more than the current biennium.

Mills said he doesn't expect the eventual budget to be that high, but adjusting for increased costs and expenses, increasing the higher education budget by only 10 percent would actually give the state system less to work with than at present. Mills expects the governor's numbers to be somewhere in between.

Mills also said a change in the political makeup of the Legislature doesn't automatically mean a boon to higher education.

"Don't assume the Democrats are going to be our friends in the process," he said.

"Democrats tend to fund students, they don't fund institutions," Mills said. That means while student aid has been a Democratic priority in the past, support of facilities and faculty has not been.

Currently, the board's proposed budget includes $15 million for statewide programs such as OSU Extension, which Mills said is unheard of.

"We've never walked into the Legislature with a budget that isn't full of potholes," he said, and he's optimistic that the programs have a broad enough appeal to gain the support of many legislators.

There are several things to keep an eye on over the next months, Mills noted, including how leadership positions are divvied up in the House, how the December revenue forecast looks, and governor issuing his proposed budget in early December.