Temple President Ann Weaver Hart and
the leaders of Penn State, Pitt and Lincoln
made the case for Pennsylvania’s continued
support for the state-related universities to
legislators at a budget hearing on Wednesday in
Harrisburg.

Appearing before members of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, the university
leaders fielded questions from senators on
the impact Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed cut
of more than 50 percent in appropriations to
the institutions would have on students and
their families, employees and on the overall
prosperity of the state.

In her remarks at the meeting and in
documents distributed to members of the
committee beforehand, President Hart
stressed that Temple is ready to partner with
the Commonwealth in resolving its fiscal
challenges.

“We know that everyone must make
sacrifices as we collectively work through
the impact of the economic recession on
the state and on Pennsylvania families,” she
said. “However, the scale of the reduction
of Commonwealth support proposed in the
governor’s budget will have devastating and
long-term effects in the lives of our citizens
and on the economy of Pennsylvania.”
The president reminded lawmakers of
Temple’s efforts over the past three years
to manage costs and keep tuition low,
and highlighted the economic benefits
Temple provides to the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.

“Temple was taking steps to meet the
challenges of these economic conditions well
before the announcement of the governor’s
proposed budget,” said Hart, adding that the
university implemented a series of measures
beginning in 2008 to permanently reduce its
budget by $40 million.

Hart explained the dramatic impact the
proposed reductions in Commonwealth
appropriation funding to Temple would have
on current students, and in particular the
disproportionate effect the cut would have on
working families throughout Pennsylvania.

“Temple will not impose the full burden of
the proposed appropriation reduction on its
students, who would face a 44 percent increase
in tuition or an additional $5,000 for in-state undergraduates in the coming year,”
said Hart. “We also will be unable to
make up the difference in budget cuts
alone without eliminating significant
numbers of jobs and programs that
are vital to the Commonwealth.

“In-state tuition gives us the
opportunity to develop the judges,
dentists, doctors, journalists,
pharmacists, teachers, nurses and
other professionals of this state, many
of whom are from blue-collar families
who could never have aspired to
these careers if they didn’t have this
opportunity,” said Hart. “I think of
those families and those students when
I contemplate what a 50 percent cut to
our state appropriation would mean.”

All four university leaders
cautioned the committee about
the long-term effects the proposed
budget would have on Pennsylvania’s
economy, through the direct loss of
university jobs, decreased economic
activity, lower levels of educational
attainment and the loss of intellectual
capital that attracts new employers to
the Commonwealth.

Senators from both parties expressed
support for the state-related institutions,
and noted that the governor’s proposal
represents the beginning of a process
that involves further discussion and
input from all parties.

“Clearly this part of the budget has
gotten the most amount of attention
since the governor’s budget proposal
was announced last week,” said Senate
Appropriations Chair Jake Corman.
“In a lot of ways Gov. Corbett did you
a tremendous favor by introducing
the budget the way he did…. Now
the public is going to get engaged,
and maybe put higher education at a
higher level of priority for funding in
future.”

The discussion hits close to home
for President Hart, who attended the
state-funded University of Utah and
later was named to the faculty there,
all while raising her four children.
“I really get it personally,” said Hart.
“I wouldn’t be here if it were not for a
state commitment to higher education.”

The university leaders will present
before the House Appropriations
Committee on March 28 at 10:30 a.m.
in the Main Capitol Building, room
140. The hearing will be carried live
on PCN.