March 6, 2017

March 6, 2017

House and Senate higher ed committees hear U of M budget request

Last week, both the House and Senate higher education committees heard the University of Minnesota's budget request. President Eric Kaler began each presentation, introducing testifiers in support of each requested budget initiative.

  • Support core missions

    • Dr. Brian Burnett, senior vice president, Finance and Operations

  • Invest in student success

    • Karen Hanson, executive vice president and provost, Academic Affairs 

    • Harrison Nguyen, U of M student

  • Expand MnDRIVE

    • Dr. Brooks Jackson, Medical School dean and vice president, Health Sciences 

    • Dr. Jerrold Vitek, professor and chair, Department of Neurology

  • Restore critical health training and services

    • Dr. Brooks Jackson, Medical School dean and vice president, Health Sciences 

    • Dr. Lauren Williams, Family Medicine resident physician 

  • Advance NRRI applied research 

    • Rolf Weberg, executive director, Natural Resources Research Institute 

  • Support the Bell Museum's expanded programming

    • Denise Young, executive director, Bell Museum

In addition, Doug Huebsch, partner at New Life Farms, and U of M student Elizabeth Hazekamp testified in support of the full request. 

Watch the House Higher Education and Career Readiness Policy and Finance hearing.

On Wednesday, March 1, President Kaler thanked the chairs and members of both committees in a statement. 

Support The U Day 

On Wednesday, March 1, Governor Mark Dayton proclaimed March 1 as Support the U Day in Minnesota. Nearly 200 students, alumni, faculty, and staff visited the State Capitol to attend Support the U Day. Advocates kicked the day off with a rally in the Capitol rotunda, featuring Coach P.J. Fleck, President Kaler, and others. Then advocates met with their lawmakers throughout the afternoon. Finally, several students attended the House higher education hearing on the University's budget request.

February forecast released

On Tuesday, February 28, Minnesota Management and Budget released its February budget forecast, projecting a $1.65 billion surplus for the 2018-19 biennium, which is $250 million higher than the November forecast. This increase stems primarily from higher than expected income tax revenues and a slight decrease in state spending. Read the forecast documents. 

The February forecast sets the parameters for legislators' budget decisions. The legislature is tasked with passing an FY 2018-19 budget before the constitutionally mandated adjournment date of May 22, 2017. The University of Minnesota is requesting an additional $147.2 million in FY 2018-19.