Legislative Budget Committee Recommends Funding Cut for Mississippis Public Universities

On Tuesday, the States Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) released its FY 2009 budget recommendation. Compared to IHLs FY 2009 request as well as the current years FY 2008 appropriation, the JLBC recommends cutting funds to many System units, including education and general support; subsidiary programs; the University of Mississippi Medical Center; the agriculture unit at Alcorn State University; and Mississippi State University's Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, Cooperative Extension, Forestry and Wildlife Center, and College of Veterinary Medicine. "Our initial reaction to the budget recommendation is extreme disappointment", said Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Thomas C. Meredith. "The cuts to our universities and the states only medical center are very difficult to understand or explain. It is obvious we need to enlist the entire statewide university community to make our case in the next session". Consistent, stable funding for Mississippis University System is required if Mississippi is to gain ground competitively in the national and global economy. From 2001 to 2006, IHL received flat or declining funding dollars from the Legislature. If IHLs appropriation is cut in FY 2009, the System will lose the ground gained through the state's last two fiscal year budgets. Highlights of the recommendation can be found here. For more information, contact Assistant Commissioner of Governmental Affairs Dr. Jim Borsig.

-- Edited by Reporter at 16:41, 2007-12-10