System testifies on budget cuts, access

System testifies on budget cuts
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system testified in front of the House Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy committee yesterday on the earlier cuts in 2003, the FY2009 unallotment of $20 million and what the system is facing now, the Governor's proposed cut of $146 million. Trustee Tom Renier told committee members that the system is sobered by the size of the state budget deficit. Renier said, "Our presidents are used to making tough decisions, and for the past several months they have been engaged in planning for a variety of budget scenarios." Renier continued, "As a board, we intend to move thoughtfully and to make sure we have all the information we need to make decisions that will be in the best interest of our students and of the state of Minnesota."

Chancellor Jim McCormick testified that he understands the difficult decisions ahead for lawmakers, but he believes it is important to remember that higher education is the key to economic recovery. McCormick said, "Our colleges and universities are the place where laid-off workers will turn to learn new skills for new jobs. Our colleges and universities offer everything from short-term programs to associate, bachelor’s and graduate degree programs."
Laura King, vice chancellor and CFO, laid out a variety of potential consequences to the governor’s proposed 10.7 percent funding reduction, including higher tuition rates, reduced course offerings, enrollment caps and reduced student services.

Both Presidents Richard Davenport, Minnesota State University, Mankato and Ann Wynia, North Hennepin Community College discussed the impact the cuts would have on their institutions. Davenport said his institution is already preparing for cuts by eliminating programs, leaving staff positions vacant, and even moving some classes to a local movie theater to allow for more students per class.

Access initiatives discussed in Senate
Access is a priority of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. This was the message convened to the Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Committee yesterday. In 2007, the Legislature awarded the system money to increase access for first-generation, low-income and minority students, those traditionally underrepresented in higher education. "As we enable these students, we are going to have a world-class workforce in Minnesota," said Chancellor Jim McCormick.

Linda Baer, senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs discussed the system's goals for increased enrollment, retention, and graduation of underserved populations. She said the four main goals include increased access and opportunity, the promotion and measurement of high-quality learning programs and services, enhancement of the economic competitiveness of the state and its regions, and innovation for current and future educational needs.

Dr. Whitney Harris, executive director of multiculturalism said that the state should be mindful of recruiting new students, especially as the demographics change. He said that a focus group showed that students in the underrepresented categories said their parents did not know how to help them, they lacked role models within their communities and they did not know how to access financial aid. He shared the success of Super Weekend with the committee members; last week the system went to neighborhoods and "brought college information to where they (potential and current students) are," Harris said.

President Donovan Schwichtenberg of Saint Paul College shared the success of the Power of You program, which allows high school graduates of Minneapolis and St. Paul schools to attend college for free if they meet certain criteria. Schwichtenberg said that the program has nearly doubled enrollment for first generation and minority students. He also said that the program has increased enrollment, retention and graduation rates among this cohort.

Also testifying was Louis Mendoza, with the Office of Equity and Diversity at the University of Minnesota. Mendoza spoke about the University's efforts to recruit and integrate students from underserved populations. The different programs implemented at the University work to foster a culture of belonging said Mendoza. Students involved in the multicultural programs take classes together, are paired with mentors, and are involved in tutoring programs, he said.

Robert McMaster, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota, spoke about the Access to Success (ATS) program designed to serve students who have demonstrated strong potential to succeed, but whose high school records have not matched the typical profile of students admitted to the college. He said three colleges participate in the program, College of Education and Human Development, the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences, and the College of Liberal Arts, with each developing its own unique program to ensure success for ATS students.

Director of Community Outreach with the Office of Higher Education, Mary Lou Dresbach, spoke about the Get Ready program, an early college awareness program targeted to lower income students and students of color, primarily funded through a federal grant. The program is currently in eleven schools throughout St. Paul and Minneapolis and begins working with students in fourth grade, as well as teachers and counselors.

At the Capitol:
Legislative schedules are available for the House and Senate.

College readiness, system set to testify three times

Yesterday at the Capitol

College readiness hearings continue at the Capitol
Both the House and Senate K-12 education committees have been discussing college readiness of high school students this week. The Senate E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division met yesterday and heard from Dr. Michael Cohen, president of Achieve, Inc.. Similar to his presentation in the House, Cohen said that between 2002 and 2005 the American Diploma Project (ADP) found that 30 percent of first-year college students are required to take remedial courses because they are unequipped for postsecondary education. Cohen said faculty estimated that 42 percent of first-year students are academically unprepared. To better prepare high school students for postsecondary education and careers, ADP recommends that states align their standards with the knowledge and skills needed for success in postsecondary education and work. Cohen also said that high schools need to have a set of accountability indicators to show that students are college and work-ready.

Alice Seagren, commissioner of education, said the department, along with other consultants and legislators, has been working on the issue of assessment and post high school readiness. She said it seems to make sense to have end of course tests for geometry and algebra II in order to meet the mathematics requirements for graduation. She said another option is to lower the grade level at which students take the mathematics assessment test. Seagren said that both short and long-term solutions are needed, but that the solutions must be linked. She encouraged members make a decision regarding the status of the Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma (GRAD) by the end of February. Sen. Charles Wiger, DFL-St. Paul, announced a working group will be meeting Friday to discuss short and long-term solutions regarding the GRAD standards.
Governor's Workforce Development Council policy recommendations discussed

Members of the House Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division discussed yesterday whether high school students should be required to develop a plan for their future careers as early as the ninth grade.

The idea was part of a set of policy recommendations developed by the Governor's Workforce Development Council. Executive Director Brenda Norman presented the recommendation that every Minnesota student, from ninth grade on, should have an annually reviewed plan to guide them down an educational and occupational path of their own choosing.

Rep. Steve Gottwalt, R-St. Cloud, compared the recommendation to a European-style system in which students are forced from a very young age to pursue a predetermined career path. "I get awfully concerned when we're talking about mandating things on ninth-graders and graduates in high school," Gottwalt said. "The fact that we might require them to start building a career path too early or too arbitrarily is a bit of a concern."

Rep. Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin, a college counselor, disagreed, arguing that students need to start preparing themselves for careers as early as possible. "Ninth grade, to me, is almost too late to be thinking about where they want to be going," she said.

Today at the Capitol
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system will be testifying in three separate committees today. The first committee is the House K-12 Education Policy committee at 8:30 a.m. where Cyndy Crist, System Director for P-16 Collaboration and Linda Lade, System Director for College Transitions will testify on college readiness.

At 12:30 p.m., Linda Baer, senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, Whitney Harris, executive director for multiculturalism and President Donovan Schwichtenberg, Saint Paul College will speak to the issue of access and opportunity in the Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Division.

In the House Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division hearing at 1:00 p.m., Chancellor Jim McCormick, Trustee Tom Renier, Vice Chancellor and CFO, Laura King and Presidents Ann Wynia and Richard Davenport will testify on the system's fiscal profile including the 2003 budget cuts, the current $20 million unallotment and the 2010-11 budget in light of a $4.8 billion budget cut.

At the Capitol:
Legislative schedules are available for the House and Senate.

Higher education cut in governor's budget

Governor recommends $146 million cut to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system
Gov. Tim Pawlenty presented his budget yesterday with key principles in mind; balance the budget, fund priorities in order of importance, strategically position Minnesota for success in a changing world, enhance and expand pay for performance, and do not increase burdens by raising taxes.

For higher education, the total reduction is $312.7 million, a 10 percent decrease over the total higher education base budget. The Governor is recommending a reduction to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities of $146 million, a 10.7 percent reduction. The University of Minnesota was reduced $151 million. The Governor also recommends both the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and the University of Minnesota institute firm caps on tuition increases to ensure the rising costs do not harm students.

Of the $4.8 billion budget deficit, the governor's budget includes $2.5 billion in cuts and savings. The governor included a $920 million placeholder in federal stimulus dollars and nearly $1 billion in tobacco appropriation bonds. Under the Governor's proposal, K-12 education would see an increase with a focus on Q-Comp and other pay-for-performance initiatives. There are accounting shifts in the aid payments to schools that will temporarily save the state nearly $1.3 billion.

In response to the Governor's budget released yesterday, DFL leaders said at a press conference that they believe it's critical to have public input on the governor's budget, which is why they are going to bring people together around the state. The consensus of DFL leaders was that more detail is needed on the overall budget, especially the $1 billion tobacco endowment. Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, said they are in constant contact with the federal Minnesota delegation in Washington to learn more about what is available for Minnesota in the federal economic stimulus package. Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, said the governor's budget is the blueprint document for how they're going to balance the budget, and DFL leadership will first look for areas of agreement.

You may find further details here.

K-12 committee discusses college readiness
The House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee heard from Mike Cohen yesterday, president of Achieve Inc., a national institute spearheading state's efforts to link academic standards with readiness for college and work. Cohen lauded Minnesota fourth graders’ success on the TIMMS math tests last year, and the state’s "deliberate" and "strategic" efforts to link high school academics to college and career readiness. The committee will be meeting today and tomorrow on one assessment, the Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma math test for high school juniors. Cohen warned the wide achievement gap could derail goals to educate a global-ready workforce. Cyndy Crist, System Director for P-16 Collaboration and Linda Lade, System Director for College Transitions will testify before the committee tomorrow morning.

At the Capitol:
Legislative schedules are available for the House and Senate.