Penn State's Board of Trustees approved a composite tuition increase of 3.8 percent for undergraduate students for the 2011-12 academic year at their meeting today (July 15) at Penn State Lehigh Valley. "Two-thirds of our undergraduate students will see increases of between 2.9 percent and 3.5 percent," said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. "As we said from the beginning, we are determined that our students and their families will not bear the full burden of the appropriation cuts." (more)
Penn State's Board of Trustees today (July 15) approved a $4.1 billion University operating budget for 2011-12. The budget is supported in part by a $279 million in appropriations from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a decrease of $68 million, or 19.6 percent, from last year. "To say that it has been a tumultuous and unsettled few months leading up to this point would be an incredible understatement," said Penn State President Graham Spanier, who thanked state legislators for moderating the cut in the University's appropriation from initial proposed cuts of 52 percent. "Through the hard work of those involved in assembling this plan and the contributions and support of everyone in the Penn State community I'm able to present a balanced budget, despite the largest decreases to our state appropriation in our history. This budget assumes a tuition increase that would generally be reflective of a normal year." (more)
Legislation providing about $279 million in appropriation funds to Penn State for the 2011-12 budget year today (June 30) made its way through the Legislature and now awaits the signature of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. The funding represents a reduction of $68 million compared to the previous year. (more)
Penn State's Board of Trustees Friday (May 13) approved an interim maintenance and operating budget of $4,014,953,000. This budget supports all Penn State operations and enterprises throughout the Commonwealth. The University adopts an interim budget each year so that it has an approved fiscal operating plan from the beginning of the fiscal year, July 1, until the next year's actual budget is formally approved by the University's Board of Trustees. No action on changes in tuition and necessary expense increases, including employee benefits, will be taken until after the 2011-12 state appropriation is known and the University's budget plan has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees in July. After receiving and analyzing the final state appropriation figures, the University will develop a specific budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year that addresses these and other financial considerations. (more)
Penn State officials hope to keep tuition increases for 2011-12 very moderate, despite a potentially significant cut to the University's appropriation from the Commonwealth, President Graham Spanier said Thursday (April 28) speaking to the University Faculty Senate. "We are determined that this tuition increase will not be unusual, despite the unusual challenge with which we are faced," Spanier said. "If we can, we want to make it the typical increase students expect in a normal year." (more)
University Park, Pa. -- Penn State is offering a voluntary retirement incentive to eligible employees in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Cooperative Extension, and the Division of Outreach as part of its efforts to address significant budgetary challenges in those areas. (more)
Hundreds of people gathered on the steps of Old Main over the lunch hour today (April 4) to protest the proposed cuts to Penn State's appropriation. While most members of the crowd were students, they were joined by faculty, staff, administrators, members of the community, and even State College Major Elizabeth Goreham. "This isn't just Penn State, this is about Pennsylvania. This is about our whole economy," said student Chris Stevens. "Penn State just got $182 million cut from their budget. Public education got cut $1.6 billion. ... We didn't wreck the economy. We didn't bankrupt the government, we're not causing the budget crisis," he said, making the case that students need to stand up and fight back for a fair economy that works for all the people. "Tomorrow we're going to be voicing our opinions to legislators at Capitol Day." (more)
In a March 31 note to employees, Penn State President Graham Spanier responded to some of the most frequently asked questions related to state funding for the University and addressed some common misconceptions about spending. (more)
For the second time in two weeks, Penn State President Graham Spanier made the case in Harrisburg for saving the University's state appropriation from the devastating cuts that have been proposed. "We have to continue to be frugal with our funds, but we also need your support," Spanier told the House Appropriations Committee during its hearing for state-related Universities. As was the case with the Senate hearing last week, Spanier was joined today (March 28) on the panel by Ivory V. Nelson, president of Lincoln University; Mark A. Nordenberg, chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh; and Ann Weaver Hart, president of Temple University. The three-hour hearing included statements of support as well as some admonitions about accountability. However, many of the representatives wanted to know how the proposed cuts would affect the students, and the state in general. (more)
Penn State President Graham Spanier, along with the presidents and chancellors of Pennsylvania's other state-related universities, will testify before the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee at 11 a.m. on March 28, to answer questions related to their appropriations needs. Their testimony is being delivered three weeks after Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett unveiled a budget proposal that would see state funding for higher education slashed by more than 50 percent. The hearing will be available by webcast. To watch the webcast, visit http://www.pcntv.com/pcnplus/liveplayer2.html online. The hearing will be broadcast on PCN's cable television channel at 10:45 p.m., also on March 28. (more)
