Robinson said 2,732 registered entities were included in the report, although some might have spent nothing on lobbying last year.

Steve Webster, MSU vice president for governmental affairs, said departmental budget reductions were the primary reason for the decrease. Webster also said the university was able to find inexpensive ways to lobby state policy makers, such as inviting legislators to campus events.

“The good news is we were able to find ways to display or demonstrate the strengths of the university in the Legislature in other ways,” Webster said.

“We did not diminish our presence in front of policy makers and we were able to reduce our costs.”

Webster said MSU’s lobbying expenditures are made up of anything paid for by the university to persuade legislators to take a particular stance on a proposed state law that might affect MSU.

An example of something included in the overall expenditures is a legislator attending a campus event at the university’s expense, such as paying for admission to athletic venues.

Additionally, MSU’s report to the Secretary of State shows $1,237 was spent on food and beverage, an increase of about 340 percent from 2008.

Despite MSU’s lobbying expenditure decrease, the university spent the second most among public Michigan universities. Wayne State University ($181,402) was No. 1 and the University of Michigan ($119,218) came in third.

Webster said MSU ranked second, despite an expenditure decrease because of the university’s size and the necessity of state appropriations for programs like MSU Cooperative Extension.

“The quality of our programming and the quantity of our programs are influenced or impacted by state policy,” Webster said.

The university’s top lobbying priorities last year included gaining state support for the upcoming Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB, continued appropriations for extension programs and the Michigan Agriculture Experiment Stations and student financial aid, Webster said.

He said the university’s lobbying this year will focus on increasing financial aid for students and will work to avoid additional cuts in state appropriations.

“(We’ll lobby) for funding in anticipation of appropriations reductions that have their origin in the state budget deficit,” Webster said.

MSU Trustee Faylene Owen said MSU must be aggressive in its lobbying efforts this year.

“Looking ahead, our biggest challenge is to preserve our state appropriations to contain tuition and to maintain the quality of the university,” Owen said in an e-mail.

Michigan’s largest universities typically rank in the top percentile of statewide lobbyists because gaining state support in times of financial woe is a necessity, Robinson said.

“I think to a large extent, it’s about making the case for your budget,” Robinson said.