February 02, 1999
RIDGE BUDGET WOULD INCREASE STATE SYSTEM FUNDING $10.6 MILLION
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Gov. Tom Ridge’s 1999-2000 spending proposal represents a starting point toward a new state budget.
State System of Higher Education officials will work with the governor and the Legislature toward developing a final budget that will help meet the needs of System universities and their more than 95,000 students.
Ridge’s proposal would provide for a base appropriation to the State System of $435.5 million, an increase of $10.6 million or 2.5 percent over the current funding level.The proposed increase is less than half the amount requested by the System.
The governor’s proposal also would provide an additional $1.5 million for social equity programs designed to help recruit minority and other under-represented students and to help them succeed in college. A total of $216,000 is proposed for the operation of the McKeever Environmental Center.
An additional $10 million would be available to all of higher education for technology initiatives and another $6 million for equipment purchases. The System also would receive an estimated $8.3 million for deferred maintenance through the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund.
The State System’s Board of Governors in October approved a 1999-2000 state appropriation request of nearly $448.3 million, an increase of $23.4 million, or about 5.5 percent.
The System’s overall proposed educational and general budget for the next fiscal year totals $926.5 million, about half of which would come from the state and the remainder from student tuition and required fees. The total represents a 4.2 percent increase over the current operating budget.
The Board did not consider tuition options when the budget proposal was announced, but indicated an increase in student charges would be likely even if its full request from the state were received. The size of any tuition increase remains dependent upon several factors, including the final state budget figures and the outcome of contract negotiations with various unions that represent State System employees.
The State System did not increase tuition this year, keeping the figure at $3,468 for Pennsylvania residents. It marked the first time since 1983-84 that tuition did not go up and followed an increase of only $100 in 1997-98.
The System’s proposed operating budget includes increases in costs associated with personnel, new facilities coming on-line, instructional and administrative equipment needs, deferred maintenance and debt service for the Academic Facilities Renovation Program.
The System has taken numerous steps in recent years to help control costs, and remains committed to a continuous improvement program designed to encourage the universities to operate even more efficiently. The System also is engaged in a Systemic Change Initiative, which will result in additional long-term savings and improvements to the way the universities are run.
Even with such efforts beginning to show good results, without adequate state support, the System likely will have to continue to increase tuition annually.
System officials were encouraged that Ridge proposed funding for several special initiatives, including social equity programs and technology and equipment purchases. A separate line item included in the proposed budget for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency would provide $500,000 for the establishment of the Cheyney University Keystone Academy, which would provide scholarships to gifted students who attend Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.
Funding for several other special projects, however, is not included in the governor’s proposal.
The System is seeking $14 million for the Keystone Initiative for Science, Advanced Technology Education and Workforce Development. The major component of the Keystone Initiative would be the establishment of the Keystone Institute for Science and Advanced Technology, which would focus on increasing the number of students prepared for the workplace of the future by enhancing existing degree programs and developing new programs to address workforce needs in Pennsylvania.
The initiative also would provide funding for the purchase of science and technology equipment and for the full implementation of the System’s instructional technology plan.
The System also is requesting $1.3 million to fund the PA-16: Statewide Collaborative to Ensure Standards of Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The initiative would support the initial efforts of the System, state Department of Education and other agencies and organizations to ensure classroom teachers are adequately prepared and that their curricula align with Pennsylvania’s new academic standards. Funding for a similar effort is included in Ridge’s proposal for the Department of Education, and the governor indicated the department would work with the State System.
The State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, offering more than 215 undergraduate degree and more than 100 graduate degree programs. The 14 universities that comprise the System enroll a combined 95,000 students. Nearly 350,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh.