State Colleges just want more more more money...

[RecycleMichael]

On my continual rants about the reasons to vote for state question 744, I often mentioned that Higher ed keeps getting more money and Common Ed keeps getting less. 40% of all education dollars go to state colleges and universities who keep building new universities in little towns with influential politicians (while they continue to refuse to build a four year college in Tulsa).

Now, the state higher regents have already said they want more. (If common ed had the same rate of increases as higher ed the last decade, we would have $600 million more being spent on Oklahoma high, middle and elementary schools...half of the state question.

Oklahoma regents want 5.5 percent funding increase
By MURRAY EVANS Associated Press
Published: 11/10/2010 

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma’s higher education regents asked Wednesday for a 5.5 percent increase in state funding for the next fiscal year, despite projections that the state will be facing a huge budget deficit. Regents voted to ask for $1.122 billion from the Legislature, which would be $115.6 million more than the current fiscal year’s funding of $1.003 billion.

In recent years, the Legislature has allocated more than $1 billion annually to higher education, although the higher education budget was cut by 3.3 percent for the current fiscal year because of the state’s budget crunch.  State Chancellor Glen Johnson was set to present the request to a legislative committee on Wednesday afternoon, but previous statements from top lawmakers make it seem doubtful higher education will receive everything it wants.

Last month, incoming House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, said it’s likely Oklahoma “will face a very large budget shortfall in the 2011 legislative session that will require tough choices. We are going to do the best we can given the resources we have available.”

Johnson said he’s trying to set up a meeting with Gov.-elect Mary Fallin, a Republican, to discuss the budget proposal. He said higher education officials are “cognizant of our economic environment” but defended the budget request as “fine-tuned” to meet the basic needs of higher education.  “We are doing it on behalf of the students, who represent the future opportunity of this state,” he said.

Johnson said it’s premature to predict if tuition increases might be forthcoming if higher education’s budget request is not approved.  At least 10 college presidents attended the regents’ meeting to support the proposal, including Janet Cunningham of Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, the chairwoman of the state’s Council of Presidents.

“These funds are essential so we will not have to reduce or eliminate courses,” Cunningham said.

Speaking by video, University of Oklahoma President David Boren said that “we’re still just trying to climb our way back to where we were three years ago” in regards to higher education funding.  A major chunk of the requested increase of $115.6 million is $59.8 million to replace federal stimulus money that won’t be available for the upcoming fiscal year.

“I think the biggest hinge in this proposal is how the Legislature decides to deal with the refilling of the stimulus process,” said Larry Devane, the president of Redlands Community College in El Reno. “The rest of it statistically falls in place, in my opinion, as a pretty conservative proposal.”

The regents also want $30.9 million more for campus operations and $16.5 million more to replace debt service reduction. They’re also proposing a series of bond issues during the next five years in an effort to fund a $267 million backlog in the state’s endowed chairs program, which until June 2008 offered a dollar-for-dollar state match of private donations to colleges and universities.

The budget request includes $5.6 million for debt service on those bonds.

“We understand in this economy, you’re not going to address the backlog in one year,” Johnson said. “So what we’ve tried to do is lay out a five-year plan that appears to be a reasonable way to do that, but ultimately to fulfill the promise the state made to donors.”

[TheArtist]

   I bet if the colleges had said something as lame as "we want our funding to meet the regional average" and there was a vote on it,,, it wouldn't pass.

Several people on here, including me, said they had no problem with the schools getting more money, or even paying more taxes to give them more money, IF they showed where the money was going, could tell us what specifically the money was going to, not just "schools in general".   Heck, at least the colleges show that the funding is divided up such that it goes to: the matching donor program, facilities, endowments, etc. and they probably have a more detailed list.  And they likely know that there will be budget cuts as Boren told OU to be prepared for. http://enidnews.com/state/x2127018131/OU-president-warns-of-budget-cuts



  Plus we are comparing apples to oranges in many ways that I don't have time to go into right now.

[Conan71]

Wow, that's interesting.  I was just out at Redlands earlier this week looking at a project.  It's been over-engineered and written with a spec which favors one supplier and one manufacturer (mechanical systems stuff).  Essentially, if they elect to go with the system proposed, it will cost about 30 to 40% more than the system they actually need and will not do anything about decreasing utility costs.  I'm working on writing a counter-proposal which will cost less up front and they will get the same efficiency out of the equipment.

I see this crap all the time.  I also deal with layers of bureaucracy within the university systems and wonder if some of these people are literally paid to be a professional pain in the arse.  How many people from a university are really needed to oversee a very small project (10K to 50K range)? 

I promise, my disdain for bloated government (and their various agencies) has been earned from years of dealing with them and seeing the wasteful practices first-hand not from listening to blowhards who have never had to deal with them.

[RecycleMichael]

Because it is important that Tishomongo (population 3,162) and Durant (population 13,549) each have their own colleges (distance between them 33 miles).

Because it is important that Wilburton (population 2,972) and Poteau (population 7,939) each have their own colleges (distance between them 41 miles).

Because Goodwell Oklahoma (population 1,192) needs a four-year university (Panhandle State) comprised of six separate schools and a state sponsored rodeo team.

state universities

Cameron University – Lawton, Oklahoma
East Central University – Ada, Oklahoma
Langston University – Langston, Oklahoma
Northeastern State University – Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Northeastern State University – Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Northwestern Oklahoma State University – Alva, Oklahoma
Oklahoma Panhandle State University – Goodwell, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Stillwater – Stillwater, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Tulsa – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Rogers State University – Claremore, Oklahoma
Southeastern Oklahoma State University – Durant, Oklahoma
Southwestern Oklahoma State University – Weatherford, Oklahoma
University of Central Oklahoma – Edmond, Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma – Norman, Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma – Chickasha, Oklahoma

State colleges

Carl Albert State College – Poteau, Oklahoma
Connors State College – Warner, Oklahoma
Eastern Oklahoma State College – Wilburton, Oklahoma
Murray State College – Tishomingo, Oklahoma
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College – Miami, Oklahoma
Northern Oklahoma College – Tonkawa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City Community College – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Okmulgee – Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Redlands Community College – El Reno, Oklahoma
Rose State College – Midwest City, Oklahoma
Seminole State College – Seminole, Oklahoma
Tulsa Community College – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Western Oklahoma State College – Altus, Oklahoma

[waterboy]

Colleges are often leverage for bringing in new employers. They can't be compared on the same measurable bases as businesses. Maybe if they were listed on the exchange. Too hard to measure effectiveness and to control fiefdom building I think.

All I can say is, it seems we have pissed people off in the rest of the state to a degree beyond our power to balance it off. Our attitudes are not secretly held. We have lasting ill will from having gloated about our "cosmopolitan" flair for the last half century.

[SXSW]

OSU just needs to wait until Boone Pickens dies, and then they will be set.   

[Townsend]

OSU just needs to wait until Boone Pickens dies, and then they will be set.   

He's leaving everything to the Hare Krishnas.

[DTowner]

Because it is important that Tishomongo (population 3,162) and Durant (population 13,549) each have their own colleges (distance between them 33 miles).

Because it is important that Wilburton (population 2,972) and Poteau (population 7,939) each have their own colleges (distance between them 41 miles).

Because Goodwell Oklahoma (population 1,192) needs a four-year university (Panhandle State) comprised of six separate schools and a state sponsored rodeo team.

state universities

Cameron University – Lawton, Oklahoma
East Central University – Ada, Oklahoma
Langston University – Langston, Oklahoma
Northeastern State University – Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Northeastern State University – Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Northwestern Oklahoma State University – Alva, Oklahoma
Oklahoma Panhandle State University – Goodwell, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Stillwater – Stillwater, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Tulsa – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Rogers State University – Claremore, Oklahoma
Southeastern Oklahoma State University – Durant, Oklahoma
Southwestern Oklahoma State University – Weatherford, Oklahoma
University of Central Oklahoma – Edmond, Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma – Norman, Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma – Chickasha, Oklahoma

State colleges

Carl Albert State College – Poteau, Oklahoma
Connors State College – Warner, Oklahoma
Eastern Oklahoma State College – Wilburton, Oklahoma
Murray State College – Tishomingo, Oklahoma
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College – Miami, Oklahoma
Northern Oklahoma College – Tonkawa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City Community College – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University - Okmulgee – Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Redlands Community College – El Reno, Oklahoma
Rose State College – Midwest City, Oklahoma
Seminole State College – Seminole, Oklahoma
Tulsa Community College – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Western Oklahoma State College – Altus, Oklahoma

This demonstrates the problems with Oklahoma's education funding occur from the lowest to the highest level and that consolidation is needed at all levels in Okla.  While consolidation doesn't fix the bigger problem, it would show some good faith and more efficiently use of the public moneys.  Instead, we have multiple tiny districts (each with a superintendent pulling down $90K+ a year) and keep adding higher ed institutions in tiny towns.  When you're in a hole, first stop digging!