Maryland Higher Education Commission

January 2008 Press Release

 

 

 

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY RELEASES
HIGHER EDUCATION BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

Campus upgrades, making college affordable among key elements

 

 

ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 16, 2008) -- Governor Martin O’Malley today unveiled his FY 2009 budget to his cabinet members and some key state lawmakers at a press conference in the Governor’s reception room today.

The proposed budget highlights for higher education and workforce education include:

• Providing $16.3 million from the Higher Education Investment Fund (HEIF) to freeze in-state tuition at Maryland public universities for the third year in a row – after rising 40 percent since 2000.

• Including $11.5 million from the HEIF to support enrollment of an additional 1,619 students at the public four-year campuses.

• Providing the largest capital allocation ever for community colleges – $81.1 million for 13 projects at 13 campuses.

• Community College funding grows by 12 percent, or $29.1 million.

• Dedicating $1.5 million from HEIF to narrow the achievement gap between under-represented students and students as a whole.

• Including $18.5 million from the HEIF to meet workforce capacity demands.

• Expanding nursing and allied health programs, including doubling enrollments at the Shady Grove campus.
  Renovating labs and facilities for Pharmacy, Public Health and Bio-Sciences.

• Enhancing doctoral and research programs at Morgan State University.

• Supporting BRAC-related workforce development and adult literacy programs.

• $8.8 million for the Nurse Support Program II to expand the number of nursing graduates produced each year.

• $201.million in capital funding for public four-year institutions.

“The Maryland Higher Education community has a great friend in Governor O’Malley,” Higher Education Secretary James E. Lyons, Sr. – who attended the press conference – said. “His budget is very favorable to many of our colleges and universities. He has set out a bold and very exciting initiative to freeze tuition at public universities for the third straight year which I wholeheartedly support. This is a win-win budget for thousands of our Maryland higher education students, many who are struggling to pay for their fees and tuitions.”

The Maryland Higher Education Commission is a 12-member coordinating board responsible for establishing statewide policies for Maryland public and independent colleges and universities and private career schools. It serves as an advocate for more than 300,000 college students in Maryland, for the State and its needs, and for business and industry in Maryland.