The leaders of Kentucky’s higher education institutions are meeting next Monday to continue shaping their strategy ahead of the upcoming General Assembly session.
The presidents of the state’s eight public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System are lobbying lawmakers to increase higher education funding. WKU President Gary Ransdell says schools have seen $173 million in cuts since the last time funding was increased a decade ago.
“The General Assembly simply has to come to understand that as big as the problems in the pension fund and Medicaid might be and they are serious. Higher education is equally as serious,” Ransdell said.
He said higher education leaders are working towards an agreement on what their total funding request will be, including base operations, capital projects, and the “Bucks for Brains” program, which matches public money with private contributions.
Dr. Ransdell says those in the group are in general agreement that it’s time to adopt a funding model based on certain performance guidelines
“Basically focused on degree productivity and relevant degrees in the Kentucky workplace so the presidents are all in agreement that a performance funding model is nearly complete,” Ransdell said.
