CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The presidents of New Hampshire's public colleges and universities told state senators Monday that going along with the House plan to cut their state funding by 45 percent would make higher education unaffordable for many students and put a significant dent in the state's economy.
The University System of New Hampshire currently gets about $100 million a year from the state, which is spread among the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, Keene State College, and Granite State College. Gov. John Lynch has proposed cutting the annual appropriation to $95 million, while the House-passed budget would cut the total to $55 million, a return to 1992 funding levels.
The current appropriation "is New Hampshire's recognition that our democracy and our economy will depend on accessible, affordable public education," said Sara Jayne Steen, president of Plymouth State. "Higher education both benefits the economy and transforms lives. In return on investment, education creates more value than it costs."
UNH President Mark Huddleston said he expects to end up with less than the governor's proposal, but that the House plan would threaten the university's effort to transform itself and remain affordable. Spurred by projections that show the average New Hampshire family spending 75 percent of its disposal income to send a child to UNH 10 years from now, the university has been making changes in how, what and where it teaches. Those and other changes take time, he said.
"The House's proposed cuts are so disproportionate and so drastic that they would threaten the ongoing transformation at UNH just as it is taking hold," he said. "I am asking that you provide UNH with the support we need to complete our metamorphosis."
Outside the Statehouse hearing room, students chanting "Keene State matters!" nearly drowned out the officials speaking on their behalf. Inside, several of the presidents had students stand silently one by one in the audience while they described how the students would be affected by the proposed cuts. For example, Kattey Ortiz, of Salem, is among 44 percent of students at Keene State who are the first in their families to attend college, but she fears she won't be able to return in the fall because she relies heavily on financial aid, State President Helen Giles-Gee said.
"The most important reason why a 45 percent cut is too extreme is that it will rob New Hampshire students of the opportunity to better themselves and their communities," she said.
Others highlighted the university system's economic impact on the state, which is estimated at $2 billion annually, and argued that supporting higher education is critical to providing the state with the skilled workforce it needs.
"There is no doubt that the quality of the higher education system is directly related to the success of the business community," said Rich Ashooh, a former USNH trustee and executive with defense contractor BAE Systems.
Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Morse of Salem indicated senators aren't looking to cut as deeply as the House but said it isn't fair for university officials to blame the Legislature for all their troubles given that state funding makes up a small percentage of the overall university and college budgets.
"We can debate things you've done over there on bonding and other things to drive up tuition," he said. "To blame it on the Legislature is not the way to go."
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