As many of you probably know, the Senate Appropriations Committee held its budget hearing with officials from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education on Tuesday. This hearing had not been originally scheduled, but Senate Appropriations Chair Jake Corman added the hearing in response to Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed 20 percent cut to the system. Here’s our official statement from Tuesday’s hearing: Sen. Corman: As a faculty member at [YOUR UNIVERSITY], I am grateful for your support of public higher education in Pennsylvania.
Thank you for scheduling Tuesday’s budget hearing to allow representatives of the State System the opportunity to explain the potential impact of Corbett’s proposed cuts.
In addition, thank you for stating publicly that you would like to eliminate Corbett’s proposed cuts for the 14 state-owned universities and four state-related schools.
Along with my faculty union, APSCUF, I look forward to working with you on restoring our funding and getting Pennsylvania “back to the future” — a future where we support public higher education as something that benefits us all.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [Your Address] We would suggest you also copy your state senator when sending this message. You can find your state senator here.
What’s Next?
Stay tuned for updates on the budget! The state House Appropriations Committee will hold its budget hearing with State System officials on Monday, March 5. Over the next few weeks, each chapter is organizing local events focused on the budget. If you’d like to get involved, contact your chapter’s mobilization chair.