President Kaler testifies before higher ed conference committee
Yesterday, the Higher Education Conference Committee met to discuss the House and Senate versions of Senate File 5. President Kaler testified in support of the University of Minnesota’s requested tuition freeze and addressed the committee’s related questions. Dr. Tucker LeBein testified in support of the Medical School investment, and U of M student Ryan Olson underscored President Kaler’s comments on the importance of the tuition freeze. Read Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant’s editorial on the hearing.
The committee will continue work to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the bill. View a comparison of the proposals. The Legislature must complete its work on Monday, May 18, as constitutionally mandated.
Budget targets agreed upon
Yesterday afternoon, Governor Dayton, House Speaker Daudt and Senate Majority Leader Bakk released an agreement on the higher education budget target: $166 million in increased funding, including $30 million for the University of Minnesota Medical School. Earlier this session, the governor proposed $288 million, the Senate proposed $205 million, and the House proposed $53 million.
The Higher Education Conference Committee will be responsible for deciding how to allocate the remaining $136 million. The University has requested $65.2 million for a two-year tuition freeze for all resident undergraduate and graduate students. However, in a press conference last evening, Senate Majority Leader Bakk commented that the target will not provide enough funding for the University’s and MnSCU’s requested tuition freezes.
Date set for the 2016 legislative session
This morning, the Senate Rules Committee passed a resolution to reconvene the Legislature on March 8 for the 2016 session.