ometimes you have to give in order to get something back. At least that’s the philosophy Western has been practicing.
Western has spent $840,000 on lobbying for federal appropriations in Washington, D.C. since 1998, the most for any Kentucky university, according to the Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit organization that does investigative research on public policy issues.
And Western tops the list of universities who spend money to get federal dollars.
But lobbying has been profitable for the university.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has secured about $40 million in federal earmarks for Western since 1998.
“For Western it’s been a great investment,” said Robbin Taylor, assistant to the president for governmental relations.
Other schools also are using the skills of lobbyists to prove they are deserving of federal aid.
But some say the lobbying process as a whole can be wasteful.
A lobbyist’s role is to help relay the needs of a university or other entity to the U.S. government in order to acquire federal funds.
Many Kentucky businesses and universities have shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire lobbyists to communicate their wants to the legislature.
According to the CPI’s Web site, the biggest Kentucky spender on lobbying was Brown & Williamson Tobacco, which spent about $43.3 million on lobbying from 1998-2004.
Kenneth Lee, an attorney and lobbyist based in Washington, D.C., said he has been employed by Western since about 1998.
He has been a lobbyist since 1988.
According to the CPI’s Web site, Lee also represents Brigham Young University and several cities.
Western originally managed national lobbying by the Office of Sponsored Programs and paid for it out of indirect costs for grants, Taylor said.
Lobbying is now managed by the government relations office, she said.
“It’s a good relationship that developed over time and has been very profitable for us,” Taylor said.
Lee said some people have argued the absence of a federal lobbyist can be detrimental to a university.
“You hear a great rushing sound of all the money going to the Berkleys, the Chicagos, the MITs, and other wonderful universities don’t see any of it,” he said.
Lee would not disclose his rates, but said most lobbying firms in Washington, D.C. charge more than $600 an hour, but he doesn’t charge hourly.
President Gary Ransdell said spending $840,000 over time may seem like a lot, but he said hiring a lobbyist is similar to hiring a faculty member.
“You pay for their knowledge, their understanding of the environment and their relationships,” he said.
The University of Louisville also has seen the benefits of investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into federal lobbying.
Denise Fitzpatrick, the director of media relations at U of L, said the university has spent about $740,000 on lobbying in the past six years and has received $115 million in federal appropriations since 1999.
“We feel that our expenditures on the federal lobbyist has been a worthwhile expense and has been extremely cost-effective,” Fitzpatrick said.
Hiring a national lobbyist has become an important part of making sure money is secured for Western, Taylor said.
“I can tell you that the competition for those dollars is very, very tight,” Taylor said.
Julia Dilaura, a researcher for the Center for Public Integrity, also agreed that available federal funds are limited.
“It’s pretty much unlimited people that want limited money,” she said.
Ransdell said there would be no chance of Western being as successful in earning federal funding if the school didn’t hire a lobbyist to work full time in Washington, D.C.
“You just can’t replicate that with someone who’s in an office in Bowling Green, Ky.,” he said.
Lobbying and presenting proposals that match appropriation opportunities have helped Western get federal funding, Ransdell said.
But the system of lobbying may be wasteful, Dilaura said. The federal system of appropriations isn’t working if public entities must spend money on the private sector to get funds from the government, she said.
“There is a definitely a cyclical element,” she said.
Western still plans to continue lobbying in the nation’s capital because of past successes.
“The proof is in the results,” Ransdell said.
Reach Ashlee Clark at news@wkuherald.com.
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