BGSU seeks to mobilize support for higher-education funding

Ohio lawmakers need to hear a strong message from parents, alumni, students, educators and others that they should provide adequate funding for higher education, according to Larry Weiss, associate vice president for University relations and governmental affairs.

The budget is currently being deliberated in the Ohio House of Representatives, Weiss said, and, although BGSU would lose more than $5 million during the biennium in the budget presented by the governor, the House is considering even further cuts.

What is discouraging, Weiss and President Ribeau have said, is that legislators continually fail to make the connection between the state’s foundering economy and the lack of an educated workforce that would draw business and investment. The role that higher education, especially four-year institutions, has to play in creating jobs and solving economic problems in the long term is overlooked, they say.

State spending per K-12 student, per nursing home resident and per prison inmate, for example, has climbed steadily since the late ‘90s, while spending per student in higher education has taken a sharp downturn since 2001.

Ohio seems to be trapped in a cycle in which rising tuition at state colleges and universities—due to declining state support—discourages both current and prospective students from getting a degree and creates financial hardships for them and their families.

Universities also recognize there is a great need in Ohio for both tax reform and Medicaid reform. Additionally, say University presidents, investing in higher education will pay dividends in job growth and an expanded tax base over time. Not only do universities serve the young people of Ohio, but they also provide high-quality, knowledgeable workers for the new information economy.

A major part of the funding problem seems to be legislators’ perception that voters do not care about state support for higher education, Weiss says. He repeatedly hears from those in Columbus that they never hear from their constituents on the matter. In fact, during the last budget cycle discussions, Weiss said, an Ohio senator told him, “No one ever failed to get re-elected because he or she cut funding for higher education.”

What are we doing?
Bowling Green has responded by working to mobilize constituents—parents, alumni, faculty, staff and students—to let legislators know that the future of the state does indeed lie in a well-educated workforce, and that producing that workforce means helping students get a four-year degree, as opposed to the budget “quick fixes” of cutting programs like higher education.

The Office of Alumni Affairs has created “Advocate for BGSU,” a simple and fast means of contacting legislators directly. By visiting http://capwiz.com/bgsu/state/main/?state=OH citizens can find out who their representatives are and how to contact them by email, phone or letter. The site contains an email link that allows users to either send a pre-written message or compose their own.

Weiss added that, when communicating with legislators, University employees may not use campus phones or BGSU letterhead or postage.

Since the budget proposal is now with the House, it is best to contact representatives at this time. When the debate moves to the Senate in April, citizens should direct their comments to their senators. Again, those names and addresses are available on the “Advocate for BGSU” Web site.

Key messages
The key messages state universities want to impart to lawmakers are that:

• Tuition has risen because state support has fallen. And even the increased tuition and fees have not made up for the loss. On average, from fiscal year 2001 to fiscal year 2005, state support decreased by $1,611 per student, while tuition and fee increases only made up $1,311 of the difference. Ohio ranks 10th in the nation in reliance on tuition for educational costs, and, at BGSU, students must pay about 64 percent of their educational costs while the state provides about 36 percent.

• Universities have responded to legislators’ charges that they are inefficient by noting their longstanding and continuing efforts at instituting a number of efficiencies, from making permanent personnel cuts to redesigning health care plans to streamlining purchasing. BGSU has aggressively pursued reductions in utility costs and has initiated energy-saving programs. It has increasingly turned to electronic communications to save on paper and postage, and has cut operating budgets campuswide. Academic areas have been consolidated in some cases, low-enrollment programs eliminated and services cut. Four sports have been discontinued in the athletic department. The University continues to look for ways to conserve resources.

• BGSU and other universities have continued to respond energetically to legislators’ calls for more collaboration between public institutions. Collaborations now span a broad range of disciplines but are especially prevalent in medical, science and education areas. BGSU participates in a number of joint degree programs with, for example, the Medical College of Ohio and the University of Toledo. It also offers many distance education programs in conjunction with the state’s community colleges. BGSU participates in the governor’s Third Frontier initiative to bring high-paying, high-tech jobs to Ohio, and is a member of the National Science Foundation-funded Northwest Ohio Partnership on Alternative Energy Systems along with UT and Owens Community College.

Reaching out to parents
Student Affairs staff will present this message to BGSU parents at receptions in Cleveland and Cincinnati in early March. Calls for parent involvement will also appear in an upcoming newsletter mailed to parents as well as in an electronic newsletter and on the parent Web site.

Many voices make a bigger impact
If Bowling Green and the other state universities are to continue to deliver quality education, provide needed student services and incorporate up-to-date technology, they must receive adequate funding.

Legislators need to hear this message from their constituents and realize that accessible, affordable education benefits the entire state. Weiss urges all University employees to contact their legislators and to ask their friends and neighbors to make their voices heard in Columbus as well.