Chancellor discusses finances with MnSCU newspaper editor

-- Andrea Jackley

On Sept. 22, Chancellor James H. McCormick invited Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) student newspaper editors to meet with him and his staff, as well as each other, for a day of networking and information sharing.

McCormick, 67, was named chancellor by the MnSCU Board of Trustees in December 2000 and began serving in July 2001. McCormick previously served as chancellor for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since the system’s creation in 1983. As chancellor, McCormick reports to a 15-member governing board, which includes three students, and who oversee the administration of the MnSCU system and allocation of a $1.4 billion budget.

After introductions between students and staff members, McCormick presented himself at the gathering, gave a short introductory speech, and then opened the meeting up for questions from the students.

Students were encouraged to ask questions about issues relevant to their college or university experience. A popular topic was the rapidly inflating tuition costs of the past few years. A student from Dakota County Technical College pointed out that affordability is a big concern for all of Minnesota’s higher education students.

McCormick answered this concern by citing that over the past five years the 32 state colleges and universities that make up MnSCU have had to absorb $240 million in budget cuts, which has contributed significantly to the double-digit increases students have seen in their yearly tuition. Many of these budget cuts are a result of the post-9/11 economy, said McCormick.

In his 2006 State of the System Address, McCormick noted that "Minnesota has slipped below the U.S. average in state and local support for public higher education per student… At the same time, we are seeing report after report warning that higher education is becoming more and more vital to the economic success of Minnesota and the country."

According to Measuring Up 2006, the national report card on higher education put out by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Minnesota has fallen from a C- to a D on tuition affordability. "State support is down while enrollment keeps going up," said the chancellor, who reminded the room full of students about the dire need to hire additional faculty.

This conversation provided a nice segue into the Office of the Chancellor’s focus on the future for Minnesota’s higher education institutions. According to the chancellor MnSCU will focus on four things in the next year: Accessibility; affordability; high-quality learning programs to increase the retention of students - particularly students of color; and innovation when it comes to meeting student’s educational needs.

The MnSCU System 2006 Capital Budget Request asked state Legislature to approve $280.4 million in general funding. After very little debate, the House and Senate passed the bonding bill, which included a total amount of $191.4 million for MnSCU, or 68.3 percent of the original request.

Part of the bill includes a $4.9 million building project for Metropolitan State University, which is ranked 22 on the priorities list. The project will include the construction of a 16,500 square-foot smart classroom center, which will be equipped with the latest technology to assist learners in management information systems, information and computer sciences, management, communications, and general applied science programs and liberal arts courses.

The building will house several support service locations, which are believed to help increase student retention. It may also provide classroom space for several other metro-area colleges, such as Century College.

The co-location project between Metropolitan State University and Minneapolis Community and Technical College will account for $18.9 million of this year’s bonding bill, with which an additional building for health and science education will be built on the former Billy Graham property purchased by MnSCU in 2003.

The chancellor and his staff were adamant about emphasizing the contributions of MnSCU to the state of Minnesota. In a report prepared by Paul Anton, chief economist for the nonprofit organization Wilder Research, the estimated annual statewide economic impact of MnSCU is $3.5 billion per year.

"Of that, about $2.4 billion is from the enhanced productivity of Minnesota workers who received degrees or training at our colleges and universities," said McCormick in his State of the System Address.

According to a press release submitted by MnSCU on Sept. 20, for every dollar spent on the MnSCU system by the state there is a return-on-investment of $10.87. Anton’s study estimated that this year’s bonding bill of $191.4 million will generate $430 million in statewide economic activity in the next two years.

In the wake of an extensive election season, the chancellor and his staff also urged students to mobilize supporters at the local level. Throughout the next year, they would like students to tell their stories to Legislature. "It is important to have support on both sides of the aisle," said McCormick.

McCormick also said that the Office of the Chancellor is working closely with student organizations, such as the Minnesota State College Student Association. This grassroots organization is dedicated to the Minnesota public college community and is working vigorously to register voters this fall.

When asked if he would endorse a candidate for governor, McCormick replied, "No, we don’t endorse political candidates."

He is, however, willing to meet with any of the candidates. "I look forward to it," he said.

McCormick is well-known for his willingness to travel and meet with legislators in their home districts, and this year will be no exception. With at least 30 new members in the House and Senate, McCormick has a lot of road to cover.