Indiana public colleges, universities present budget requests to state lawmakers

Major state budget requests from Indiana’s public colleges and universities center on new and renovated facilities focused on high-wage, high-demand jobs.

The proposals presented to the State Budget Committee this week included projects for nursing, health sciences, automotive technology and high tech crime studies.

Much of the schools’ presentations focused on the metrics lawmakers emphasize: reducing student debt, keeping tuition increases low, and getting students to complete their degrees on time.

And some, like Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann, highlighted why their schools deserve special recognition in the budget.

Ellspermann said Ivy Tech produces nearly half of the credentials earned by Indiana students, yet only receives 18 percent of Indiana’s higher education funding.

“Ivy Tech needs a bigger piece of the pie to deliver for Indiana, for employers, and for Hoosiers,” Ellspermann said.

READ MORE: Where does the money go in Indiana’s state budget?

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Some university presidents, like Ball State University’s Geoffrey Mearns, faced tough questions from lawmakers. Sen. Chris Garten (R-Charlestown) pointed out that Ball State doesn’t have an engineering or medical school, yet has the second-highest tuition rate in the state for public institutions.

“That gives me a little concern that we’re pumping out degrees with a higher tuition that don’t have as much return as what we’re charging, maybe,” Garten said.

Mearns noted that Ball State has a much lower net price of attendance than its peers. That measure, reported by the federal government, takes into account other costs, scholarships, and federal and state grants.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.