Oklahoma Higher Education Chancellor Discusses Legislative Agenda

Oklahoma Higher Education Chancellor Discusses Legislative Agenda

TAHLEQUAH Funding available to Oklahoma through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act should enable Oklahoma citizens to keep their jobs, help the state create new jobs by stimulating the economy, and assist those out of work earn degrees to prepare for changing times, Oklahoma higher education Chancellor Glen D. Johnson told a group of legislators and community members at Northeastern State University on Friday.

Johnson was on campus to provide an update on the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Educations FY 2010 legislative budget request at a luncheon in the University Center Redbud Room, part of the 2009 OSRHE Regional Legislative Tour.

He also offered insight into the ARRA and the potential it holds for enhancing the quality of education provided to Oklahomas college and university students. Approximately $155 million in federal stimulus funding will be available for higher education over the next two years.

Johnson joined with NSU President Dr. Don Betz in expressing the need for enhanced funding for higher education.

Our system has done a good job of keeping the cost of education as low as possible, but it is becoming very clear that our state will need to increase its investment in higher education in order to keep higher education within reach of Oklahomas working families, said Johnson.

Betz emphasized the importance of eastern Oklahoma to the overall economic well-being of the state, and the role Northeastern plays in regional economic development is one of the components that helps create employment opportunities for Oklahomans.

There has been good work done in the past but with a new framework and new opportunities we will be able to do more, Betz said. We will apply the unique relationships we've developed to bring vitality to the east side of Oklahoma. And we will look forward to working with partners in this room and with those who are not even on this earth yet to create opportunities.

Johnson announced that the State Regents FY 2010 legislative agenda includes a request for $4.9 million from the Legislature to annualize the debt service for the $100 million bond authorized during the 2008 legislative session for the states match to the endowed chairs program.

Student aid funding will also be a focus for the State Regents in the upcoming legislative session because more financial assistance reduces barriers that prevent students from attending college. The Academic Scholars Program for high-performing students is requesting an additional $400,000 next year. The State Regents will also seek $50,000 to fully fund the Regional University Baccalaureate Scholarship program. Expenditures for the past two years have exceeded the $800,000 appropriation the program receives. Carryover funds have been used to fund the excess, but those funds will be depleted by the end of FY 2009.

The State Regents are also seeking to increase funding for the concurrent enrollment program, which allows high school juniors and seniors to take credit-earning college courses. The State Regents propose to increase funding for the program by $625,000. The State Regents are also requesting an additional $100,000 for cooperative alliance fee waivers. The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education has agreed to fund $50,000 annually for waivers. In the past, the State Regents portion of the waivers has been paid from one-time carryover funds from other waiver programs that are now depleted and no longer available for future waivers.

The State Regents are seeking $200,000 for the states ReachHigher program, for which NSU is the lead institution statewide. Under the direction of Dr. Tim McElroy, dean of the NSU Muskogee campus, additional funds for ReachHigher will provide more scholarships and tuition waivers. In order for the program to be even more successful, an increase in financial aid to adult students is needed.

The final component of the legislative agenda is a request for nearly $200,000 for the Office of Accountability. The office administers two state programs: the Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program and the Oklahoma School Performance Review Program.

The total request for new FY 2010 funds is $86,874,880.

4/10/2009

Published: 2009-04-10 00:00:00