State government to vote on Penn funding today
The State Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing today regarding Governor Ed Rendell's recommendation to increase funds to the University for the next school year.
Rendell has proposed that the state allocate $43.7 million to Penn, subject to the approval of the General Assembly, said Director of Commonwealth Relations Paul Cribbins.
Along with other institutions of higher learning in Pennsylvania, Penn saw a 5 percent decrease in appropriations for the current school year, Cribbins said.
The funds are designated for the Dental, Medical and Veterinary schools, because these schools serve the state in ways which qualify them to receive public funds, said Carol Scheman, Penn's vice president for government, community and public affairs.
The increase from this year's amount -- $42.9 million -- will be distributed between Penn's Dental and Veterinary Schools.
The Dental School -- which provides uncompensated care to many West Philadelphians and which will receive the greatest amount of the increase -- has not seen a growth in funding in many years, Scheman said.
The increase will bring "us in line with other schools in the commonwealth," said Thomas Freitag, associate dean for finance and administration in the Dental School.
"The funds will be used for instructional purposes," he added.
The bulk of the appropriations will go to the Veterinary School.
"A large portion of what the Vet School does is deal with agriculture" and farm animals, a service that is necessary since Pennsylvania is an agricultural state, Scheman said.
Budget hearings are held in February and March, at which time appropriations bills are presented for each Pennsylvania institution.
The General Assembly reviews these bills, and a vote is taken later in the spring.
-- Elizabeth Rossi
