U. officials not surprised by Casey's budget

University administrators said yesterday that they were not surprised that Gov. Robert Casey's proposed state budget for the 1993-94 fiscal year included no funding for the University. "We always have our hopes, but we're not really surprised," Acting Executive Vice President John Gould said. "It's in line with his decision last year." "That was my assumption," Budget Director Stephen Golding said. "That was all of our assumptions, I think." "I don't think anyone could have expected the governor to deal with this issue in any other way given the political climate," he added. "We had anticipated this and are continuing to focus our efforts on [the current] fiscal year." Although Casey has already recommended that the University receive no funding for next fiscal year, which begins July 1, the State Senate recently approved $36.3 million for the University for the current fiscal year. Casey, who recommended no funding for the University for this fiscal year as well, could veto the bill if it passes the State House of Representatives. Golding said it would have been very unlikely if Casey had reversed his position from last year, when he first recommended cancelling all funding for the University. "In reality, if the governor has a zero in [the current] fiscal year, he can't give us anything in [the next] fiscal year," he said. In his annual budget address, Casey told the state legislature that "the Pennsylvania I want to see is also a well-educated Pennsylvania." But President Sheldon Hackney said yesterday he thinks the governor's budget proposal contradicted those words. "Certainly in higher education, [Casey] has not provided funding for any of the state-related universities," he said. "The state university system and the community colleges are also inadequately funded, not to mention the 13 historically state-aided institutions whose appropriations were eliminated again this year, including the Vet School, the only school of veterinary medicine in the state." Gould said Casey's record does not indicate support for higher education. "I think that if you look at his overall support for higher education, it really isn't sufficient at any level," Gould said. Casey's speech made no reference to the University, or to any other private university. Golding said he hopes that the legislature will restore the University's funding. "Penn has always taken the position that we seek to be treated like all other institutions of higher education," he said. Golding added that he hopes more legislators will take the position advocated by State Senator Vincent Fumo (D-Phila.), who sponsored a bill that would restore much of the University's state funding for the current fiscal year. Golding said he does not think the governor's proposal is necessarily the end of funding for the University. "I don't think what the governor has done, is quite frankly, the story," he said. "The question is whether we can get a portion of our [current] fiscal year appropriation restored." "We're working on it," he added.