Yesterday at the Capitol
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Chancellor Steven Rosenstone and Vice Chancellor for Finance Laura King provided a system enrollment and financial overview presentation to the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday morning. Chancellor Rosenstone told committee members that MnSCU serves a diverse student body still in high school, right out of high school, adult learners, and working adults updating their skills or preparing for a new career. “Our students are older and they juggle very complicated lives,” Rosenstone said. Rosenstone told members that nearly 6 out of 10 of all undergraduate students in Minnesota are enrolled in a MnSCU college or university.
Rosenstone discussed enrollment with the committee and told members that across the system there have been enrollment changes over the last decade. “After experiencing record enrollment growth from 2006 to 2011, enrollment at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has fallen in recent years,” Rosenstone said. He said an improving economy and underlying demographics are believed to be the primary factors influencing enrollment. “Minnesota’s relatively low unemployment rate and declines in the high school aged population are contributing to the drop in enrollment,” Rosenstone said.
Vice Chancellor King explained to the committee that state support per FYE (full time equivalent student) since fiscal year 2005 has declined 17 percent when adjusted for inflation. King did note that there has been recent improvement between fiscal years 2013 and 2014 as a direct result of declining enrollment and increased state appropriation. King also compared the reduction in Minnesota’s higher education funding to national trends. King explained that Minnesota’s reduction is among the nation’s deepest. She said that in 1999, Minnesota’s higher education appropriation per student was 21 percent higher than the national average, and now it is 20 percent below the national average.
Committee members had questions ranging from how a concurrent enrollment course works to why the colleges and universities do not have common tuition rates across the system. Committee Chair Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, asked about transfer and why after 20 years as a system, are there still problems with courses transferring within the system. Chancellor Rosenstone responded that 90 percent of courses are transferring the way they’re supposed to, and added, “Ten percent of the glass is not full – we intend to fill it.”
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities will be presenting the system’s biennial budget request at 2:45 this afternoon in the State Office Building, Room 5. You can also watch it via webcast at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/schedule.asp
Today at the Capitol
8:15 AM
House Education Innovation Policy
Room: Basement Hearing Room
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda: HF45 Murphy: Universal all-day preschool provided for four-year-old students
HF24 Pinto: Definition of directory information conformed to federal law
HF672 Anderson: Computer science course credit allowed to fulfill a math credit requirement
HF244 Urdahl: Teacher preparation programs approved by the state Board of Teaching efficacy data collected and reported, and money appropriated
HF 643 (Fenton): Principals’ Leadership Academy provisions modified, and money appropriated
HF727 (Wills): Postsecondary enrollment options program information provided to students and parents
HF982 (Urdahl): Public postsecondary institutions directed to give full credit to students for completed PSEO courses, and report required.
9:00 a.m.
Senate E-12 Budget Division
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Charles W. Wiger
Agenda:
S.F. 195-Hoffman, J.: Minnesota council on economic education grant appropriation.
S.F. 442-Wiklund: The Works museum appropriation.
S.F. 155-Wiger: School readiness aid increase and appropriation
S.F. 447-Kent: Minnesota children’s museum appropriation
S.F. 607-Kent: Minnesota reading corps program appropriation.
10:15 a.m.
House Agriculture Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Rod Hamilton
Agenda: Presentations on organizations and programs that receive pass through grants from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council
MnSCU – mental health counseling for farm families
Agricultural Societies and Associations
Second Harvest Heartland
Minnesota Turf Seed Council
Northern Crops Institute
Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association
Minnesota Horticultural Society
Minnesota State Poultry Association
Dairy Development and Profitability Enhancement (Minnesota Department of Agriculture)
12:45 p.m.
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jenifer Loon
Agenda: HF72 (Anderson, S) Education expense credit and deduction provided to apply to expenditures for prekindergarten expenses.
HF359 (Runbeck) Reading tax credit modified.
HF667 (Anderson, S) K-12 education expense credit modified, credit amount and income phaseout for the credit increased, and credit phaseout threshold adjusted for inflation.
HF798 (Knoblach) K-12 education expense subtraction and credit modified; credit extended to tuition; subtraction and credit amounts increased; income phaseout for the credit increased; and credit, subtraction amount, and credit phaseout threshold adjusted for inflation.
HF245 (Urdahl) K-12 teachers who complete master’s degree in a content area directly related to their licensure field allowed tax credit, and money appropriated.
2:00 p.m.
Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Terri E. Bonoff
Agenda: S.F. 247-Nelson: Alzheimer’s and other dementias research grant program and public awareness campaign grant program established; Alzheimer’s research advisory council establishment; appropriating money.
Note: They will hear SF 247 and then proceed to hear 3 bills in the Higher Education & Workforce Development Policy Committee.
S.F. 766-Hoffman, J.: Spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury research grant program, small business grant and loan program, and spinal cord and traumatic brain injury advisory council establishment; office of higher education grants.
S.F. 293-Clausen: College savings plans income tax credit and subtraction establishment and appropriation.
S.F. 713-Clausen: Student loan debt repayment counseling pilot program establishment and appropriation.
2:45 p.m.
House Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities budget request presentation
Looking Ahead
Wednesday, February 25
8:30 a.m.
Senate Education
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Charles W. Wiger
Agenda: S.F. 334-Johnson, A.: Childhood screening program vision screening requirement modification.
MDE report on Indian Education Working Group
S.F. 271-Chamberlain: Reading income tax credit modifications.
S.F. 278-Chamberlain: Childhood literacy provisions modifications
9:00 a.m.
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sarah Anderson
Agenda: Presentation on Contract Negotiation Process: Legislative Coordinating Commission Director Greg Hubinger
10:15 a.m.
House Agriculture Policy
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Paul Anderson
Agenda: HF475 (Quam): Sponsored agriculture education community experts allowed.
HF815 (Dill): Agricultural product motor vehicle weight limit permit requirements amended, and hauling product for use as a biofuel provided.
HF683 (Franson): Industrial hemp industry development provided for and regulated, industrial hemp research authorized, rulemaking required, possession of industrial hemp defense provided, Marijuana and Wild Hemp definitions modified, and money appropriated.
HF779 (Hamilton): Agriculture Research Education, and Technology Transfer Board established, and money appropriated.
12:15 p.m.
House in Session
12:45 p.m.
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jenifer Loon
Agenda: Special Presentation on American Indian Education Recommendations – Minnesota Department of Education
2:00 p.m.
Senate Jobs, Agriculture and Rural Development
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Dan Sparks
Agenda:
S.F. 472-Bonoff: High school career counseling services appropriation.
S.F. 736-Sparks: Telecommunications competitive market regulation for certain local exchange carriers.
S.F. 895-Sparks: Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) services and Internet protocol (IP)-enabled services regulation prohibition
2:45 p.m.
House Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: Minnesota State Colleges & Universities (MnSCU) and University of Minnesota – Presentations on Performance Funding Metrics Outcomes
Thursday, February 26
8:15 a.m.
House Education Innovation Policy
Room: Basement hearing room
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda:
HF859 (Kresha): Minnesota Council on Economic Education grant funding provided, and money appropriated
HF947 (Kresha): After-school community learning grant program established, and money appropriated
HF768 (Schomacker): Independent School District No. 402, Hendricks exempted from the general reciprocity agreement
HF724 (Bernardy): College concurrent enrollment program full funding provided
HF1075 (Erickson): Language excluding retired principals who serve as a substitute principal removed from continuing education requirements
8:30 a.m.
Senate E-12 Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Charles W. Wiger
Agenda:
S.F. 564-Hoffman, J.: School lunch aid provisions modifications.
S.F. 163-Hoffman, J.: School district basic revenue formula allowance increase.
S.F. 541-Clausen: General education basic formula allowance increase and future annual inflationary increases authorization.
S.F. 558-Wiklund: School districts and cooperatives compensatory revenue to school sites allocation modification.
S.F. 398-Dziedzic: Collaborative urban educator recruitment and training programs appropriation
9:00 a.m.
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sarah Anderson
Agenda: HF488 (Knoblach) – Labor agreements and compensation plans ratified
10:15 a.m.
House Agriculture Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Rod Hamilton
Agenda: Presentation on the Farm Business Management Program
HF888 Kiel: Mentoring and farm business management program challenge grant funding provided, and money appropriated
HF348 Persell: Wolf depredation payment funding provided, and money appropriated
HF514 Fabian: Wolf and elk depredation payments funding provided, and money appropriated
12:45 p.m.
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jenifer Loon
Agenda: HF555 (Backer) Lakes County; funding to expand career and technical education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields provided, and money appropriated.
HF584 (Kiel) Mobile manufacturing lab program created, and money appropriated.
HF774 (Kiel) Online college in the high school operations enhanced, course offerings increased, additional online support to high schools in Minnesota provided, technology enhanced, and money appropriated.
2:00 p.m.
Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Terri E. Bonoff
Agenda: Confirmation of Commissioner Larry Pogemiller – Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Update – Higher Education Career Advisors Pilot Project (HECAP)
S.F. 420-Saxhaug: Rural workforce system coordinators establishment and appropriation; Minnesota youth program appropriation.
S.F. 472-Bonoff: High school career counseling services appropriation (Depending Re-referral from the Jobs, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee).
Thank you.
Melissa Fahning
Director of Legislative Communications
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
651-201-1757 (work) 612-483-3741 (cell)
melissa.fahning@so.mnscu.edu
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