Proposed cuts worry North Dakota higher ed officials
Bresciani says removing $15 million from pot would have ‘dire consequences’
Proposed changes to North Dakota’s higher education budget would be an “eviscerating cut,” said North Dakota State University President Dean Bresciani.
By: Amy Dalrymple, INFORUM
Proposed changes to North Dakota’s higher education budget would be an “eviscerating cut,” said North Dakota State University President Dean Bresciani.
A legislative subcommittee has approved changes to the university system funding bill that would raise tuition, remove $15 million in equity and performance funding and eliminate a priority building project.
Bresciani said the proposal would have “dire consequences” for NDSU and the entire system if it moves forward.
The changes to House Bill 1003 were approved in a split vote by a subcommittee of House Appropriations that is chaired by Rep. Bob Skarphol, R-Tioga. The bill will now go to the full House Appropriations Committee.
The subcommittee did add more funding for an information technology facility that would be housed at the University of North Dakota and serve the whole system.
The proposed cuts include:
* Removing $6.6 million intended to limit tuition increases, resulting in tuition increases of up to 4.1 percent. Gov. Jack Dalrymple proposed a tuition freeze for two-year schools and a cap on tuition increases of 2.5 percent for universities.
* Removing $10 million in equity funding. NDSU would have received the largest chunk of that funding at nearly $4.7 million.
* Removing $5 million that Dalrymple proposed for performance funding that would be allocated based on how campuses perform on certain measures, such as students graduating on time.
Rep. Kathy Hawken, R-Fargo, one of the subcommittee members who opposed the amendments, called the cuts “distressing” because of the economic benefit NDSU and other campuses bring the state.
“NDSU is not overspending. They are in a crisis mode almost,” Hawken said. “And think of what they do for the community of Fargo and for the state of North Dakota. Why do we want to make that go away?”
The full article is available at:
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/308848/So let me get this straight, the state has a billion plus dollar surplus and they are looking at making cuts to higher education when the schools are already having to deal with meager support? Buildings are crumbling, tuition is skyrocketing, education is suffering...
You got to be kidding me.