Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) is asking for more new funding than Gov. Tim Pawlenty seems willing to give.
The MnSCU Board of Trustees has expressed intentions, said MnSCU Chancellor John McCormick, of keeping student tuition increases on average to four percent a year over 2008-09.
That would be the smallest increase since 1999.
Average increase 60 percent
But since the massive state budget deficit of 2002 the average MnSCU tuition has increased more than 60 percent.
“I think the board promised the students that we would not raise it more than four percent regardless of what happens (this legislative session),” said McCormick.
“They can change their minds, but they have made a pretty definite statement that four (percent) would be the gap,” he said.
That’s their intentions, explained McCormick.
There are doubters.
“I don’t know realistically if they can meet it,” said Alexandria Technical College student and Minnesota State College Student Association President Scott Formo.
Covers inflation
MnSCU proposes to use the $73 million generated by the tuition increase to help cover the cost of inflation.
Although the governor recommended less funding than MnSCU wants, McCormick said it’s the biggest increase ever proposed and one that basically follows board of trustee priorities.
He is receptive to the governor’s proposal of bonus funding based on system performance, said McCormick. “We like that — the challenge is to meet the goals and reward people for meeting them,” he said.
The biggest proposed new money investment is for system technology infrastructure improvements at $70 million.
Other proposed investments include recruiting nontraditional students — out of every 100 ninth-graders statewide, only 42 enroll in public higher education within two years of graduation, according to MnSCU.
Increased focus
MnSCU proposes an increased focus on science, technology, engineering and math. An increased focus on health care education is projected to produce 950 more nurses over the biennium.
And MnSCU has a chance of gaining additional funding for maintenance through a small bonding bill currently being sorted out.
Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, Senate Capital Investment Committee chairman, noted Pawlenty had nothing in his bonding bill for higher education. “We’ll do much better,” he said.
McCormick praised lawmakers for keeping the bonding money coming to higher education even through the budget crunch of recent years.
There’s a general consensus that education funding is a big priority this session — the governor slated the majority of the budget surplus for it — but the field is crowded.
In recent months early childhood education has emerged in the educational mix previously dominated by K-12 education and higher ed.
Betting on the little kids
“I’m kind of betting on the little kids right now,” said Sen. Claire Robling, R-Jordan, Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Committee, of the winning funding tussle between the three education fields.
There’s no doubt the focus is on education, Robling explained, but there’s a limited amount of money available.
Scott Formo, MnSCU student association president, also senses the third player he did not sense in previous years.“There’s definitely competition,” said Formo. “I think they’re all coming on very strong,” he said.
Formo explained the governor’s funding recommendations shows an interest in higher eduction.
Still, Formo the association is concerned about Pawlenty’s ACHIEVE proposal, he explained.
Pawlenty, as part of an initiative to make high school more relevant to students, is proposing to allow high school students who take rigorous college level courses to earn scholarships they can use to state universities and colleges.
Formo argues funding for this program could be better used by investing it in the larger MnSCU system — benefiting all students — than narrowly slotting it to a few.
Robling, who will carry the governor’s ACHIEVE proposal in the Senate, said she would like grade point included in determining eligibility for the scholarships.
Rep. Rob Eastlund, R-Isanti, House Higher Education and Workforce Development Policy and Finance Committee, said everyone is interested in lightening the tuition burden on students.
He’s interested in taking a broad approach, steps with lasting impact rather than short-term fixes, he explained. On the surface he is not interested in a tuition freeze, he said.
The MnSCU system’s current base funding is $1.2 billion.
by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) is asking for more new funding than Gov. Tim Pawlenty seems willing to give.
MnSCU, a state higher education giant with 32 state universities and colleges and 370,000 students, is requesting $177 million in new funding for the next two-year spending cycle.
The governor has proposed to fund the system about $50 million less.
MnSCU Chancellor John McCormick
That would be the smallest increase since 1999.
Average increase 60 percent
But since the massive state budget deficit of 2002 the average MnSCU tuition has increased more than 60 percent.
“I think the board promised the students that we would not raise it more than four percent regardless of what happens (this legislative session),” said McCormick.
“They can change their minds, but they have made a pretty definite statement that four (percent) would be the gap,” he said.
That’s their intentions, explained McCormick.
There are doubters.
“I don’t know realistically if they can meet it,” said Alexandria Technical College student and Minnesota State College Student Association President Scott Formo.
Covers inflation
MnSCU proposes to use the $73 million generated by the tuition increase to help cover the cost of inflation.
Although the governor recommended less funding than MnSCU wants, McCormick said it’s the biggest increase ever proposed and one that basically follows board of trustee priorities.
He is receptive to the governor’s proposal of bonus funding based on system performance, said McCormick. “We like that — the challenge is to meet the goals and reward people for meeting them,” he said.
The biggest proposed new money investment is for system technology infrastructure improvements at $70 million.
Other proposed investments include recruiting nontraditional students — out of every 100 ninth-graders statewide, only 42 enroll in public higher education within two years of graduation, according to MnSCU.
Increased focus
MnSCU proposes an increased focus on science, technology, engineering and math. An increased focus on health care education is projected to produce 950 more nurses over the biennium.
And MnSCU has a chance of gaining additional funding for maintenance through a small bonding bill currently being sorted out.
Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, Senate Capital Investment Committee chairman, noted Pawlenty had nothing in his bonding bill for higher education. “We’ll do much better,” he said.
McCormick praised lawmakers for keeping the bonding money coming to higher education even through the budget crunch of recent years.
There’s a general consensus that education funding is a big priority this session — the governor slated the majority of the budget surplus for it — but the field is crowded.
In recent months early childhood education has emerged in the educational mix previously dominated by K-12 education and higher ed.
Betting on the little kids
“I’m kind of betting on the little kids right now,” said Sen. Claire Robling, R-Jordan, Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Committee, of the winning funding tussle between the three education fields.
There’s no doubt the focus is on education, Robling explained, but there’s a limited amount of money available.
Scott Formo, MnSCU student association president, also senses the third player he did not sense in previous years.“There’s definitely competition,” said Formo. “I think they’re all coming on very strong,” he said.
Formo explained the governor’s funding recommendations shows an interest in higher eduction.
Still, Formo the association is concerned about Pawlenty’s ACHIEVE proposal, he explained.
Pawlenty, as part of an initiative to make high school more relevant to students, is proposing to allow high school students who take rigorous college level courses to earn scholarships they can use to state universities and colleges.
Formo argues funding for this program could be better used by investing it in the larger MnSCU system — benefiting all students — than narrowly slotting it to a few.
Robling, who will carry the governor’s ACHIEVE proposal in the Senate, said she would like grade point included in determining eligibility for the scholarships.
Rep. Rob Eastlund, R-Isanti, House Higher Education and Workforce Development Policy and Finance Committee, said everyone is interested in lightening the tuition burden on students.
He’s interested in taking a broad approach, steps with lasting impact rather than short-term fixes, he explained. On the surface he is not interested in a tuition freeze, he said.
The MnSCU system’s current base funding is $1.2 billion.
(Photo by T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter)
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