Chancellor Erroll Davis considers the budget cuts and new Board of Regents policies as necessary changes to invest in the University System of Georgia, he said Tuesday.

“It has been Georgia history to respond to present difficulties with a decision based on the future,” Davis said during the second day of the 26th Biennial Institute for Georgia legislators at the Georgia Center.

Davis addressed the new BOR policies, including the mandatory $100 fee for students to offset 8 percent budget cuts.

“Don’t let urgent times push aside the future,” Davis said. “I assure we are managing through tough times and not sacrificing the quality of education.”

The University’s tuition is lower than that of other southeastern universities, such as the University of Virginia, Davis said. The University is ranked ninth among 345 public and private colleges on the Princeton Review’s “Best Academic Bang for Your Buck” list.

Davis said teaching, research and services have not changed, but how to maintain them will always be debated.

“The evolving area is clearly defining the unique aspect of the University,” he said. “What occurs in the classroom and lab room of the colleges and universities is special and unique.”

The University System was established in 1932 during the Great Depression, a time when “state legislators and the governor could have put it off,” Davis said.

“Georgia has a long history of tackling issues that are long-term,” he said. “Applying service in a difficult and challenging economic environment allows decisions that affect you and will be defining moments of you and the state.”

Regardless of the budget changes, Davis said he is proud and confident in the University System.

“No state can truly be great without a higher education system,” he said. “The decision made in 1932 [to build the University System of Georgia] made this system envied in 2008.”