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[Mason, Linda]

Oklahoma higher education needs more funding to meet completion goals, chancellor says
BY SILAS ALLEN  The Oklahoman  12/20/2012

EDMOND - Oklahoma is making steady progress toward college completion goals but will need more funding to stay on track, the state's higher education chief said Wednesday. Oklahoma Higher Education Chancellor Glen Johnson told a group of state legislators, congressional aides and others that the college completion initiative has support at every public college and university campus in the state. "It requires the support of every regent body and every president, and it has that," Johnson said. "We're committed to this initiative." Johnson laid out the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education's legislative agenda for the upcoming session during a forum Wednesday at the University of Central Oklahoma. At the center of that agenda is a request that includes a budget increase of $90.4 million, or about 9.47 percent.

Most of the funding increase would be related to the college completion goals, according to the appropriations request. The largest share - $55 million - would offset costs brought on by enrollment increases. The state's college completion goals will make up the largest part of the agency's legislative agenda next year, Johnson said.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has called for a 67 percent increase in college degrees and certificates earned in Oklahoma by 2023. Higher education officials announced in September the state had surpassed its goal during the 2011-12 academic year. The state's public colleges and universities produced an additional 1,934 degrees and certificates last year compared to the year before, topping the goal of 1,700 degrees and certificates for all public and private colleges and universities as well as CareerTech centers.

But Johnson said the state likely wouldn't be able to continue on that pace with flat or declining budgets. The budget has been reduced by 8.4 percent over the past five years. Johnson said this year's budget request of $1.046 billion would still place the system behind the $1.05 billion funding level of 2008. "We have commitment," Johnson said. "It certainly will require more funding."

UCO President Don Betz said the university supports the system's college completion goals. As a metropolitan university, UCO is in a strong position to contribute to that effort, he said. "We share the regents' commitment to broadening the path to a college degree for our citizens through innovation and collaboration," Betz said.

Okla. higher education to focus on more graduates
By Associated Press   The Journal Record   12/20/2012

EDMOND (AP) - Oklahoma universities and colleges need to increase their graduation rates, and additional funding from the state would help them do that, the State Regents for Higher Education chancellor said Wednesday. The regents recently voted to request $90.4 million in new state appropriations during the upcoming legislative session. The total budget request for fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1, is $1.05 billion, a 9.47-percent increase over the current year's appropriation. "We believe that our budget request makes a very persuasive case for our policy leaders to further invest in higher education," Chancellor Glen Johnson said at a meeting of lawmakers, community leaders and educators at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. "These funds would assist our institutions in achieving our Complete College America degree completion goals and will help to ensure student access and success in college."

The regents' funding request includes $55 million for the Complete College America performance program, which would include additional course sections, full-time faculty members, financial aid, information technology equipment and library resources. The regents are also requesting $7.5 million to fund a grant program that will enhance higher education institutions' efforts to provide students guidance in completion of their degrees. Funding would be directed to special services in career counseling, advisement, financial aid and efficiency in degree attainment. The funding proposal also includes $7.5 million for a program to provide students with career counseling, advisement and financial aid. An additional $2.5 million is proposed for the concurrent enrollment program, which allows high school juniors and seniors to take college courses and earn credit.




Linda Mason, Ed.D.
Coordinator of Grant Writing
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
655 Research Parkway, Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
405-225-9486 desk
405-706-8757 cell
405-225-9230 FAX
lmason at osrhe.edu
www.okhighered.org/grant-opps/

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