Gov. Rick Snyder is recommending a 4.3 percent budget increase for the state’s 15 public universities.
The governor announced his recommendation Wednesday as part of his overall state budget plan for fiscal year 2017. The overall recommendation of $1.4 billion would bring total state higher-education funding back to 2011 levels.
The budget recommendations for the three University of Michigan campuses range from 4.2 percent to 5.1 percent. The breakdown is: Ann Arbor campus, $300 million, up 4.2 percent; UM-Dearborn, $24 million, up 4.8 percent; and UM-Flint, $21.8 million, up 5.1 percent.
“This is a great way to start the state’s budgeting process and we look forward to getting additional details and working with legislators in the weeks ahead,” says Cynthia Wilbanks, vice president for government relations. “We have long said that investing in higher education contributes significantly to the state’s economic well-being.”
The governor’s plan calls for distributing half the funding through an across-the-board increase and half through the state’s performance funding formula. That formula includes such factors as undergraduate degrees in critical skills area, research expenditures, six-year graduation rate, total degrees, administrative costs as a percentage of core expenditures and the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants.
The governor’s recommendation calls for state universities to limit tuition increases to 4.8 percent in order to receive any new performance funding.
Statewide the recommended funding increases range from 3.5 percent at Wayne State University to 6.8 percent at Grand Valley State University.
The budget now goes to the state Legislature, where it could be amended, and ultimately faces approval by the House and Senate.
John Leppiaho
Long over due. What is he proposing for the public schools, not the charter schools that have drained public school money.
Janet Sutherland
In response to Mr. Leppiaho, The amount of increase in state funding for K-12 per pupil typically ranges between $30 and $40 – which is one half of one percent or less. Public schools also cannot raise tuition, assess fees to students, charge for computers or any materials, have to provide all books and necessary tools and also transportation. University employees typically receive 2-3% raises every year. Most public school teachers in Michigan haven’t received a raise in five or six years and many teachers have seen their salaries actually reduced. University instructors will also not have their evaluations tied to the outcomes of their pupils either. The system is incredibly inequitable!
Antonio De la Puente
Very glad to know about encrease in its operating budget of the University of Michigan.tto a level it correspond.