The Impact of State Budget Reductions in the 1990's: A View of Public Higher Education in Six States.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Impact of State Budget Reductions in the 1990's: A View of Public Higher Education in Six States.
Language: English
Authors: Serban, Andreea M., Burke, Joseph C.
Availability: Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, Public Higher Education Program, 411 State Street, Albany, NY 12203-1003; Tel: 518-443-5835; Fax: 518-443-5845; Web Site: http://rockinst.org/highedu.htm
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 29
Publication Date: 1998
Document Type: Reports - Research
Speeches/Meeting Papers
Descriptors: Administrators, Budgeting, Educational Attitudes, Educational Finance, Educational Policy, Educational Quality, Enrollment, Higher Education, Institutional Mission, Public Colleges, Retrenchment, State Colleges, State Officials, State Programs, State Universities, Statewide Planning, Tuition
Geographic Terms: California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Wisconsin
Abstract: This study examined the impact of state budget cuts on public colleges and universities in six states, focusing on the effects of such cuts on institutional priorities and plans, tuition and fees, and educational quality. Five state higher education finance officers, 12 state college or university system finance officers, and 98 college or university finance officers from California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin were surveyed in 1997. It was found that state college and university systems relied mostly on short-term measures such as enrollment reductions, tuition and fee increases, vacancies and salary freezes, and early retirements, which generally emphasized raising revenues and restricting expenses, to alleviate funding cuts, and neglected the reshaping of missions and priorities. Institutional responses indicated that individual colleges and universities took a much more proactive approach to funding cuts, including the reshaping of missions and priorities. However, individual campuses did not depart significantly from state systems' preferences for short-term cost-saving measures such as salary and hiring freezes. An appendix provides a breakdown of the survey population. (Contains 35 references.) (MDM)
Entry Date: 1999
Accession Number: ED423728
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This study examined the impact of state budget cuts on public colleges and universities in six states, focusing on the effects of such cuts on institutional priorities and plans, tuition and fees, and educational quality. Five state higher education finance officers, 12 state college or university system finance officers, and 98 college or university finance officers from California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin were surveyed in 1997. It was found that state college and university systems relied mostly on short-term measures such as enrollment reductions, tuition and fee increases, vacancies and salary freezes, and early retirements, which generally emphasized raising revenues and restricting expenses, to alleviate funding cuts, and neglected the reshaping of missions and priorities. Institutional responses indicated that individual colleges and universities took a much more proactive approach to funding cuts, including the reshaping of missions and priorities. However, individual campuses did not depart significantly from state systems' preferences for short-term cost-saving measures such as salary and hiring freezes. An appendix provides a breakdown of the survey population. (Contains 35 references.) (MDM)