TOMPKINS EXPECTS CHANGES IN HIGHER EDUCATION BUDGET
HOUGHTON--While Michigan Tech President Curt Tompkins is generally pleased with Gov. John Engler's proposed higher educatiion budget for fiscal year 2000, he expects some aspects of that document to change.
"In general the governor's proposed budget for higher education looks better than any I've seen in my eight years as President of Michigan Tech," said Tompkins, but he noted that formulating an annual budget is an ongoing discussion and that process is not complete.
"We feel that now is the time to take the State's public universities to the next level of educational excellence," he said. "While we applaud the Governor's suggestion that the tuition tax credit be repealed and that the resultant savings be allocated to those universities that keep in-state tuition to 3 percent or below, we feel there are other changes that need to be made."
Chief among those, said Tompkins, is the need for the State to restore incremental funding to help universities maintain and operate new buildings. "The governor's proposed budget calls for a 4 percent increase for state universities, but an 8.6 percent increase for prisons," he said. "And a good part of the money earmarked for prisons will go toward the operation and maintenance of new facilities. It just seems to make good sense that when we open a new building to educate our children, we should receive the same sort of strong funding support that prisons receive to house and care for those who have broken society's laws."
Tompkins noted that Michigan Tech has raised 44 percent of the capital needed to fund its Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, the Rozsa Performing Arts Center, and the addition to the Forestry School, which is scheduled to get under way this spring.
"We have done more than provide the 25 percent in matching funds required by the State for these projects," he said, "and we will continue to do all in our power to make our educational product as good as it can be--but we will need an increased level of support from the State to be successful."
Tompkins said he is pleased with the Governor's tier plan for funding public universities, which places Michigan Tech with the State's other three major research universities--the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University. However, he feels Michigan Tech will need a 6 percent appropriation increase to assure the continued improvement of its quality undergraduate education programs.
"Six percent is what I'm going to push for at the State House and Senate budget hearings scheduled for March and April," said Tompkins. He said he expected strong support in his efforts from State Senator Don Koivisto and State Representatives Paul Tesanovich and Mike Prusi, all of whom have consistently been strong advocates for Michigan Tech.
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02/16/99