Higher education in Delaware comes under the microscope as the state works toward developing the Fiscal Year 2013 budget. The Office of Management and Budget is in its third week of initial hearings on spending requests from state agencies and state-supported educational institutions. Schools like Delaware Technical Community College and Delaware State University are touting their potential to turn out graduates ready to fill job opportunities at Delaware businesses. At the same time, like other state agencies, they are dealing with mandates to keep their spending under control.
DTCC President Orlando George presented a budget plan Thursday in Dover that highlighted the school’s strategies in developing programs that meet the needs of the state while maximizing resources that are available. George highlighted programs in food safety, aviation, customized workforce training for manufacturers such as Fisker Automotive and the PBF Oil Refinery, casino table gaming, and weatherization – among others.
“Delaware Tech can ensure that our graduates can hit the ground running in the workplace,” George said, adding that 446 Delaware businesses hired Delaware Tech graduates in 2010. 46-percent of them were employed in the field of healthcare.
Like other state-funded schools and agencies, DTCC was directed to hold its operating budget to one-percent above last year’s level. George said his 2013 budget priorities include maintaining the existing level of authorized general fund positions and to continue funding for nursing and allied health programs. Additionally, the college is proposing a capital budget of about $13.4-million. Proposals under the capital portion include expanding the arts and sciences building and the trades and industry building at the Owens campus in Georgetown, developing a Center for Teacher Education at the Dover Terry campus and expanding a building at the Wilmington campus.
State support to DTCC accounts for about 55-percent of its budget. According to George, the rest comes from tuition, federal grants, and private sector support and partnerships.
“When the state invests in Delaware Tech, it’s a smart investment,” George said.
Through it all, George said DTCC has managed to keep tuition affordable. In fact, he said it was the lowest among the community colleges in the four-state region of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Also, George said applications for financial aid tripled over the past ten years.
Affordability and access are also priorities – and challenges – at Delaware State University, which also presented its budget proposal to OMB staff Thursday. DSU seeks an operating budget of just over $7.1-million and a capital budget topping $11.3-million.
“We want to make sure that when we get students into our university that they graduate and be productive citizens,” Delaware State University President Dr. Harry Williams said. “The funding request we put forth will help with our facilities on campus, would help with our students in terms of graduation from our institution, and support our faculty in terms of faculty development.”
Delaware St. Univ. and Delaware Technical & Community College FY2013 budget requests
Delaware State University president Harry Williams discusses how DSU prioritized its budget request.
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Delaware State University president Harry Williams would not rule our a tuition increase at DSU if needed to maintain educational quality.
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Del Tech President Orlando J. George, Jr.. outlines how Del Tech determined its budget priorities.
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Del Tech President Orlando J. George, Jr.. discusses some specific personnel Del Tech would like to add if the state increases its funding by one percent.
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Williams said state support accounts for about one-third of DSU’s operating budget. Priorities in the operating budget include salary increases for faculty and restoration of funding that was made possible by the national economic stimulus plan. Capital budget highlights include improvements and equipment needs, as well as $250-thousand dollars for the designing of a six-thousand seat convocation center. Williams said the planning process would determine where the facility would be located and how it would benefit the community and the economy of the entire area.
Williams also highlight the success of the state-backed Inspire academic scholarship program, saying that it benefited 247 freshman students who came in with solid grade-point averages and SAT scores.
Affordability of higher education, however, remains a major issue for many DSU students and their families. Williams said it is a difficult decision to increase tuition, even modestly, as many families depend on financial aid. “We might be forced into that because of the needs that we have and the fact that we need to make sure that the students are receiving the quality education that we’re promising them,” Williams said. “We’ve got to make sure the faculty have their classrooms, the space in the classroom, the blackboard, all the latest technology. All of that costs money.”
Office of Management and Budget Director Ann Visalli said after initial hearings conclude this month and the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council meets in December, a budget will be recommended to Governor Jack Markell in January. DEFAC reduced its revenue projections by $110-million at its last meeting in September.
The recent decline followed several months of improving revenue projections, a pattern Visalli said was similar to those in other states and reflects an overall continued stagnation of the national economy.
“The good news is when we did see money in the spring, we put the majority of it into the bond bill for one-time projects,” Visalli said.
The University of Delaware appears before budget-writers on November 22nd.