Colleges would see major cuts in state budget

BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL AND Denise Allabaugh (Times-Shamrock Writer)
Published: February 8, 2012

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State colleges and universities would see some of the biggest cuts in Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget.

The 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, such as East Stroudsburg and Bloomsburg, would see a 20 percent cut - or a loss of $82 million.

That cut would bring state funding to below 1989-90 levels, according to the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties.

State-related universities would also take a substantial hit. Penn State University would lose $64 million, or 30 percent, of its state funding. That proposed loss would be a 51 percent drop from 2010-11 funding levels.

University of Pittsburgh and Temple universities would also see a 30 percent decrease from this year's levels.

Chancellor Charles Davis at Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus at Lehman said the cuts would put pressure on school officials to try to find efficiencies and could lead to higher tuition costs.

Tuition and fees amounts to $12,242 a year at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and $15,124 at State College. Since the budget is still a proposal, Dr. Davis could not yet say how much tuition and fees could increase. Penn State President Rodney Erickson will participate in House budget hearings later this month, he said.

"It's going to make it difficult," Davis said. "The university has done a great job in trying not to increase its tuition. We know we serve a group of folks who don't have the resources that other folks do."

Penn State Worthington Scranton spokeswoman Amy Gruzesky said it was too early to know the effects at the local campus.

"Any cut would have an impact," she said.

Under the proposed budget, the 14 community colleges in the state would lose $8 million.

That is equal to a 3.8 percent cut to community colleges like Luzerne County Community College, said LCCC President Thomas Leary.

Leary said those cuts could lead to tuition hikes at LCCC. For the last two years, the college has kept tuition at $84 a credit, he said.

"Although I cannot predict what the result is with tuition, over the next several months that we will prepare the budget, we will be very sensitive to costs for students and do everything possible to maintain tuition," Leary said. "I don't know at this point in time what the tuition increase would be. We will be reviewing it over the next several months. We're definitely not going to do anything to minimize services or cut programs. Our budget is student-oriented and we will continue to make sure we keep our focus on the students."

In his proposal, the governor also announced the formation of a higher education advisory panel, which will study how to more education more accessible and affordable.

Panel members include Michael MacDowell, president of Misericordia University, and Frank F. Britt, CEO of Scranton-based Penn Foster Career School.

Contact the writers: shofius@timesshamrock.com; dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com

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