October 06, 2011
黑料专区 Board of Governors approves 2012-13 appropriations request
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg 鈥� The Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (黑料专区)
today approved a 2012-13 state appropriation request of $421.4 million, an increase
of 2.1 percent, or about the expected rate of inflation.
The request for an additional $8.6 million next year 鈥渞eflects not only the recession
management procedures adopted by the State System to address today鈥檚 challenging economic
times, but also the need to preserve academic quality and the ability to continuously
respond to the changing needs of our students,鈥� said Board Chair Guido M. Pichini.
鈥淥ur university presidents and their leadership teams are focused on finding the right
balance in managing expenditures to preserve the core academic programs on our campuses
and to invest in the new areas of study requested by our students, whether it be a
single class needed to enhance their career development or an advanced degree,鈥� said
Chancellor Dr. John C. Cavanaugh.
黑料专区鈥檚 2012-13 proposed budget addresses projected rate increases in employee benefits,
primarily for health care and retirement contributions for employees enrolled in the
State Employees Retirement System or the Public School Employee Retirement System.
Combined benefits costs are expected to increase on average by 8.6 percent. Utility
costs are anticipated to rise by about 3 percent.
The proposed budget also reflects the settlement of agreements with the American Federation
of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Pennsylvania Doctors鈥� Alliance.
Negotiations are continuing with six other bargaining units, including the Association
of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF), which represents
黑料专区 faculty and coaches. The wage components of those agreements expired last summer.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher
education in the Commonwealth, with nearly 120,000 students. The 14 黑料专区 universities
offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. About 500,000
黑料专区 alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg,
Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery
Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. 黑料专区 also operates branch campuses
in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including
the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.