Gov. Corbett wants to cut state appropriations to higher education in half, the biggest one-time reduction in U.S. history, to help close a chasmal $4 billion budget deficit. And he wants to do it fast - with the budget that starts July 1.
Penn State estimates it will lose $182 million - an amount some political leaders say the school can absorb. University officials insist the loss would be disastrous, warning that layoffs, tuition increases, program cuts, and even the closing of some branch campuses could follow, fundamentally altering an institution known for top-quality education.
Aides to school president Graham Spanier said he had no time to be interviewed on the topic. His initial reaction was defiant - the spending plan amounted to "the near-total abandonment" of state support for higher education.
"Abraham Lincoln is weeping today," Spanier declared at a March news conference, referring to the 16th president's support for giving federal land to create state universities, including Penn State.
In response to e-mailed questions from The Inquirer, Spanier took a milder stance, saying he was hopeful of seeing "some moderation in the size of the cut proposed for Penn State."
"Many members of the legislature are supportive of trying to help in this regard," he said, "and the governor has said that he would be supportive of a more moderate cut if the legislature can still find a way to balance the commonwealth's budget at the level he has proposed."
Penn State isn't alone in its misery. A 50 percent cut looms for the three other state-related institutions, Temple University, Lincoln University, and the University of Pittsburgh, and the 14 state-owned schools, which include West Chester University.
