House cut would save CMU $864,000
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If the Michigan Senate and House agree that differential cuts to higher education appropriations are important, CMU may receive a lesser blow than anticipated.
Mike Silverthorn, Public Relations and Marketing executive director of news services, said the House subcommittee on higher education appropriations submitted an alteration Wednesday to Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s proposed cuts to public universities.
The House proposal would create a range in cuts to Michigan universities from 5.45 to 6.75 percent.
“Anything that is receptive to enrollment trends and past funding inequities is a step in the right direction,” Silverthorn said.
The House recommendation gives CMU a 5.74-percent cut, saving CMU $864,000 from Granholm’s recommendation of 6.4 percent.
Other Michigan universities also would see reductions in their higher education cuts, under the House recommendation. Oakland University would see a 5.75-percent cut, Western Michigan would see a 5.95-percent cut, while Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State would see a cut of 5.45 percent.
Rep. Sandy Caul, R-Mount Pleasant, said in a press release the changes are to alleviate some of the problems universities are facing.
“The 1-percent change we approve in subcommittee isn’t going to save the world, but it does soften the blow,” she said.
Kathy Wilbur, governmental relations vice president, said the Senate will have its last budget hearing May 30.
“There will be a meeting the following week to announce their budget, then it will probably take a week to go to the full appropriations meeting,” she said. “It will probably be mid-June before the bill goes to conference committee, and (the House and Senate members) will sit down and go through their differences.”
The full House approved the higher education budget by a vote of 68-38 Tuesday, Wilbur said. The proposal will now go through the Senate.
