Everyone please read this

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
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<p>Probably most of you heard about Governor Tom Corbett's devastating state funding cut; it will cut Pitt’s appropriation by $110 million. Consequentially, all of us will pay inflated tuition for upcoming 2011-2012 year. I cannot alter any changes alone, but if we work together, we can change.</p>

<p>Here is how you can help: </p>

<p>Send an email and call your state senator, state representative, and Governor Corbett.</p>

<p>For more information and instructions: </p>

<p>Governmental</a> Relations</p>

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<p>

Inflated? How much exactly will the inflated tuition be at Pitt for 2011-2012? Without knowing what that cost is how can you say it is inflated?</p>

<p>

Perhaps more accurate to say that the Federal Government has cut funding to PA for education:
[The</a> truth about PA Gov Corbett’s education budget for 2011 |](<a href=“http://conservativetrumpet.com/2011/04/15/pa-gov-corbet-adds-104-million-to-education-despite-4-1-billion-deficit/]The”>http://conservativetrumpet.com/2011/04/15/pa-gov-corbet-adds-104-million-to-education-despite-4-1-billion-deficit/)
“Thus, to say that the 2011 proposed education budget has been cut, (based on 2010 budget plus stimulus funds totalling $5.776 billion) is a misrepresentation of the actual figures shown.”</p>

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<p>Hmmm, I’ll have to do more research based on aglages article. I just don’t trust those data on first sight. But would it be safe to say that tuition will go up more than usual due, at least in good part, to Corbett’s proposed cut? I think so. if this bothers you, contact your senator/rep. If not, do nothing. My guess is 9% to 12% increase. I wonder what the over/under is in Vegas???</p>

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<p>

Is it actually Governor Corbett’s proposed cuts, or is it that Governor Corbett refuses to find replacement money within the state budget for federal money that is no longer available?
[Pa</a>. Governor Corbett DefendsBudget Pa. Governor Corbett Defends Budget CBS Pittsburgh](<a href=“http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/03/11/pa-governor-corbett-defends-budget/]Pa”>Pa. Governor Corbett Defends Budget - CBS Pittsburgh)</p>

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<p>Did ARRA impact the 18 state related colleges and universities? I see that it did for basic (preK-12) education but that’s not the point of this thread. If you data on this, please post - I’m most curious.</p>

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<p>Sorry for the weird formatting, but below is what I found about the Gov’s budget. Pitt is cut by $87 million. ARRA funding for Pitt last year was $7.5 million (see notes at bottom for each university). The ARRA impact is pretty minor in comparison. On the good news side, ARRA funded a ton of research projects through NIH and NSF and Pitt got about a third of those grants.</p>

<p>APPROPRIATIONS
2010-11 2011-12 2011-12 2011-12
Final Governor’s Budget Diff/Avail. %/Avail. </p>

<p>PHEAA Grants 388,313 380,935 -7,378 -1.90%
PHEAA Matching Grants 13,409 13,154 -255 -1.90%
SciTech 3,471 0 -3,471 -100.00%
IAGS 30,110 15,055 -15,055 -50.00%
Nursing Shortage Initiative 962 0 -962 -100.00%
Higher Ed. Equal Oppt. Grant 2,410 2,364 -46 -1.91%
Higher Education Assistance 1,250 0 -1,250 -100.00%
State Aided 30,002 0 -30,002 -100.00%
Community Colleges* 235,741 212,167 -23,574 -10.00%
Trans. To Community College Cap 46,369 46,369 0 0.00%
Reg. Community College Services 568 0 -568 -100.00%
State System** 503,355 232,599 -270,756 -53.79%
Penn State*** 333,863 165,094 -168,769 -50.55%
Pitt*** 167,995 80,245 -87,750 -52.23%
Temple*** 172,737 82,487 -90,250 -52.25%
Lincoln*** 13,782 6,812 -6,970 -50.57%
Community Education Councils 1,400 0 -1,400 -100.00%
Medical College in NE PA 3,850 0 -3,850 -100.00%
TOTAL 1,949,587 1,237,281 -712,306 -36.54%</p>

<p>NOTE:
<em>Community College line includes $21.524 million in ARRA funding for 2010-11.
*</em>State System line includes $38.158 million in ARRA funding for 2010-11.
<em>**PSU line includes $15.791 million in ARRA funding for 2010-11.
*</em><em>Pitt line includes $7.505 million in ARRA funding for 2010-11.
*</em><em>Temple line includes $7.763 million in ARRA funding for 2010-11.
*</em>*Lincoln line includes $159,000 in ARRA funding for 2010-11.</p>

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<p>The link to the above data is: [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.aicup.org/]Home[/url”&gt;http://www.aicup.org/]Home[/url</a>]</p>

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<p>@aglages - you seem to have a child on ROTC scholarship, and I can’t help wondering if that affects your attitude towards everyone else worried about college costs.</p>

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<p>@whydoicare - thank you. you seem to understand my concern.</p>

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<p>whydoicare: Are you aware that it is not only physically possible for parents to have more than one child but to also have more than one child enrolled in college at the same time? </p>

<p>Perhaps as an actual taxpayer and parent, I agree with Governor Corbett’s approach of cutting expenses in this state while not increasing taxes. I will remind you again that he said he would do this BEFORE being elected and yet he still won the election.</p>

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<p>Aglages - your smugness aside, now that your assertion above has been disproved (“is it that Governor Corbett refuses to find replacement money within the state budget for federal money that is no longer available?”), what is the rationale for the higher education cuts? Please educate us, por favor.</p>

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<p>@aglages - well, I stand corrected. You have one child in AFROTC and another one appointed to the Air Force Academy. That’s wonderful, especially for your kids, but you have no credibility to lecture everyone else over taxes and grants. Unless you give all that money back to the federal government. Your children still deserve their educations and commissions, but given your views, you really ought to pay for them yourself instead of accepting a government handout.</p>

<p>My hope is that others will see this and simply ignore your hurtful opinions.</p>

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<p>whydoicare: I am a taxpayer of both the US and the state of PA. I can and will lecture on any issues and support any of the politicians that I have helped elect. I sincerely doubt whether you will either shut-up or return tuition money if your own son is fortunate enough to be selected for a ROTC scholarship to TAMU. Either way my votes and opinions pre-date any choices my children have made.</p>

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<p>rmac: Hopefully the handout that you are receiving from Pitt will be enough for your son to attend. I would hate to see PA budget issues force you to pay for an education in Maryland. Good luck.</p>

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<p>@soley2260 - I understand the concern, we’re all in the same boat here, but what to do about it? State budgets are only part of the problem; another equally important part is the inflation rate of tuition.</p>

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<p>@aglages - I know others who think like you do, but at least they are honest and consistent in their opinions. No, I would not give back any ROTC, merit scholarship, or other financial aid, but neither will I come on here and tell everyone else to just pay up and “shut up” after me and my kids are taken care of. That’s the difference between us, if you can even see that.</p>

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<p>While I don’t agree with him, I think aglages has a right to his conservative viewpoint. After all we can be against other government programs with or without taking advantage of them. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens in the next election.</p>

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<p>Higher education is proposed to have a severely disporportionate percentage of the cutbacks in Corbett’s budget. While state owned and state related universities are seeing a 50 to 52% cut in their state funding (which is completely separate from federal stimulus in this case), the Governor’s office and Legislature are only seeing a 2% cut. Meanwhile, prisons are getting much more money, including $600 million for new prison buildings.</p>

<p>Yes, sharing the pain is one thing. But Corbett seems to take pleasure in screwing public education.</p>

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<p>From aglages — rmac: Hopefully the handout that you are receiving from Pitt will be enough for your son to attend. I would hate to see PA budget issues force you to pay for an education in Maryland. Good luck.</p>

<p>First, thanks for the good luck. Second, the “handout” we received from Pitt competed against the “handouts” from two other colleges in the marketplace. Because of this incentive, over the next four years we’ll be spending all kinds of money in PA, including mucho sales tax on items bought there instead of other states (and on many Penguin games while visiting!). In other words, the “handout” will pay for itself many times over (can we call it an investment now?). Third, while others may be forced to make the hard choices by budget issues, we’re in it for the long haul but thanks for your concern. </p>

<p>However, I’m still very concerned about the ability of Pennsylvanians to afford quality education. I grew up in a PA steel town where many people found it hard, even in good times, to finance a quality education. The Gov is not helping them or the state IMHO. Fiscal conservatism makes little sense when undercutting infrastructure and, in a sense, higher education is infrastructure for future growth, jobs, tax base, etc.</p>

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<p>charlieschm:Throw the bums out! They need to cut their own bloated benefits by the same amount they cut Pitts.
BTW - we may need new prison buildings for all the people that resort to committing crimes after funding for the social programs are cut back.</p>