U. asks state for $50 million

As the semester winds down in Philadelphia, the pace of activity is quickening in Harrisburg, where members of the state legislature are deeply involved in the appropriations process for the 1996 fiscal year. During each of the past two years, the University has received about $35 million from the Commonwealth, according to Carol Scheman, vice president for government, community and public affairs. This year, though, the University has asked for $49.8 million in funding from the state, she said. The increase is primarily intended to help stabilize Veterinary School tuition for state residents, since the Vet School's high costs are forcing many qualified in-state candidates to obtain their education in animal medicine elsewhere. But with members of the General Assembly eager to balance the state budget and cater to their constituents' wishes, Scheman characterized continued funding for the University from Harrisburg as "far from certain." "I think there's enormous good will towards this University," she said. "There's also tremendous pressure on the budget." University President Judith Rodin agreed, explaining that the University -- as a "state-aided" institution -- can face concerted legislative opposition during the budgeting process. Some lawmakers feel that schools as rich as the University should not receive any state funding, and would prefer to eliminate the state-aided category from consideration, Rodin said. Others would rather allocate the available funds to Pennsylvania schools with a greater need than the University. "There is true anxiety at this time of the year, every year," Rodin said. "We think we've made a very strong case [for funding]." Still, Scheman said that because elected officials tend to cut funding for programs they feel are not necessary, student involvement is crucial to preserving the University's state appropriation. "I want to see an informed and active electorate on this campus," she said. "I stand ready to talk to any students who want to about the facts?This is a political issue that's on their pulse, it affects our lives." Money appropriated by the state is earmarked for the University's health professions programs -- specifically the Vet School, which is the only school of its kind in Pennsylvania -- and for the maintenance of a need-blind admissions policy, Scheman said. "At Penn, [need-blind admissions] means not only do we let students in on the basis of merit and not ability to pay, but second, we make it possible for every student who can get in to go here," she said. Part of the state appropriation provides direct scholarship aid for state residents studying at the University. Cutting-edge agribusiness research performed by Vet School faculty members is also supported by the state appropriation, Scheman said, adding that she thinks one of America's next Nobel Prize winners will come from the Vet School.

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