Oklahoma regents to ask for more funding
More than a dozen college, university leaders attended Tuesday meeting

State Regents for Higher Education will ask for $27.5 million in new appropriations from the Legislature next year, along with $35.8 million in supplemental funding to make up for this year’s budget cuts.

The new appropriations would bring the fiscal year 2011 budget request to nearly $1.1 billion, a 2.5 percent increase over the fiscal year ending June 30.

Regents also want the state to appropriate $68.7 million in federal stimulus money, the same amount legislators approved for the current year. The Oklahoma Legislature, which convenes in February, will write the budget for the next fiscal year.

The money is necessary to continue providing quality programs that are affordable to students here, said state regents, who met Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

More than a dozen college and university presidents attended the regents meeting Tuesday to show their support for the budget request.

"There’s not a better investment in state dollars than the investment made in higher education,” state Chancellor Glen Johnson said.

He said campuses have cut costs dramatically in recent years, with energy conservation, hiring freezes, reduced travel and outsourcing of some services.

"If we are going to ask for additional resources, we need to demonstrate all we’ve done to conserve and save costs,” Johnson said.

The $27.5 million in new appropriations would mostly go for operational needs like utilities and employee benefits. It also includes $875,000 to pay for more high school students taking college courses, $200,000 for regional university scholarships and $100,000 for college programs at state Career Tech campuses.

Some leaders said they’ve been struggling to continue providing student services at the same time monthly appropriations have declined. State agencies have suffered 5 percent cuts in monthly allocations because of revenue shortfalls.

"Never before have I seen a time when we’ve been asked to do more with less at the same time we’ve seen monthly budget cuts,” said Tulsa Community College President Tom McKeon. "We’ve been asked to provide high quality services with less resources.”

Fall enrollment at public campuses is at an all-time high, with community colleges seeing the biggest boost in the state.

Stimulus funding has helped fill some budget gaps, said Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis, but more must be done to continue producing college graduates.

"Oklahoma’s future does depend on college graduates,” Hargis said. "This is the time to push the pedal to the metal and take our state forward.”

Higher education leaders also say they will fight any attempts to pass a law allowing concealed weapons on campus. University of Central Oklahoma President Roger Webb said the National Rifle Association is pushing such legislation, which has failed in two previous years.

"The big guns are coming. Make no mistake about it,” Webb said. "It is going to be another high noon shoot-out at the OK Corral.”

Webb, a former state director of public safety, said allowing concealed weapons will make campuses more dangerous.

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