Governor Rick Perry plans to cut $2 billion from the higher education budget, which would affect most colleges, universities, and hammer HBCU’s.
On top of the budget cuts, Gov. Perry also proposes an "outcome-based" financial support for higher education, if enacted, could have a devastating impact on TSU.
“TSU will be affected by the cuts, but before that happens," said Provost President Dr. Sunny Ohea. "This is an opportunity for us to look into our programs and cut those that are low performing programs.”
The “outcome-based” proposal would base a substantial portion of its funding on the number of degrees colleges and universities issue.
With consistently low graduation rates, TSU would be in a financial crisis, according to Texas Public University, TSU has the states lowest six-year graduation rates, ranking at only 12 percent.
The U.S Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statics shows, out of 32 Texas universities TSU plummets to the bottom of the list. With a slight lead ahead of TSU, University of Houston-Downtown and University of Texas at Brownville rank at a 16 percent graduation rate.
“We will eventually raise the enrollment requirements from a 2.0 grade point average to a 2.6 gpa," said Ohea.
"This won’t immediately fix the low graduation rates, but in the next few years we will see a change to the graduation rates.”
Pell Grants and other higher education programs are also on the chopping block, keeping the maximum college financial aid award at $5,550 cutting financial aid by 41 percent.
Kedarious Colbert,SGA president said, “With 95 percent of our (TSU) student population being dependent upon financial aid we will be heavily impacted with the students not being able to afford to attend this institution.”
The Texas Grants scholarship program would drop by 70,000 students by the year 2012. This would eliminate 20,000 students from entering into the higher education system.
"The majority of TSU current students depend on financial aid for their education," said Colbert. "The proposed budget cuts will generally eliminate financial aid to incoming freshman and new students."
State officials said the Texas budget is facing a two-year budget shortfall between $15 billion and $27 billion, with a severe reduction to school funding.
Texas rainy-day reserve fund of $9.4 billion could pull Texas out of the two year deficit, but Gov. Perry refuses to dig into the account.
“There are only two discretionary monies that the state has,"said Ohea."Essentially education is the only money they can play with and most easily cut.”
Texas Southern University is currently preparing and reviewing its budget and cutting low performing classes, eliminating adjunct professors, and focuses on increasing enrollment requirements and graduation rates.
“We are striving to make TSU a solid and vibrate university," said Ohea. "We continue to thrive even under the budget crisis.”
Eva Picken 713 313 4205
Dr Sunny Ohea 713 313 1133 Apt Sched for 2-24-2011 @ 10:30am
Edwin Stevens 713 313 1354 Recruitment Office
General Council Office 713-313 1325
Cheryl Cash Attorney 713 313 7950
Keadariuos Colbert- 903-806-6811
Upcoming Event: Town Council meeting 2-16-2011 @ 12pm. Sawyer Building (Theater Building)
Sara,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. There's good information in it.
When you rewrite it, I would suggest that you come straight to the point in the lead.
Your lead sentence now is vague and confusing sentence. The meaning doesn't become clear for several paragraphs. You back into your lead.
Also, avoid phrases like "roads to excellence." It's opinion and it's flowery and it doesn't add to clarity.
Good leads on news stories are concrete. Your lead uses a vague metaphor to describe what "may" happen, and it doesn't clearly state what needs to happen to bring about that result.
You story says that Governor Perry's proposed budget cuts and plans to base college funding on graduation rates, if enacted, could have a devastating impact on Texas Southern University and throw it into financial crisis.
That is a powerful assertion. That's hard news. You should lead hard news stories with the strongest statement that you're able to back up. (NOTE: an editor taught me this in my first newspaper job, and it is worth remembering. It is one of the most important things I know about news writing.)
But be warned: The stronger the statement, the harder you need to work to back it up. Make sure you include enough evidence (quotes, attributable facts, figures) that readers know you're not offering opinion or making statements that aren't based in fact.
Right now, you make the statement without attribution. You need to attribute it to somebody. An exhaustively reported story can contain strong reportorial statements of fact like that and allow the following paragraphs to provide the evidence. For now, let's put the attribution in the paragraph. I'm sure you've talked to someone (or several people) who said it.
An assertion that powerful also demands reaction. Talk to administrators, faculty members and students to get their reaction to the proposals.
You have a quote now from Kedarious Colbert. That's good. Your post is labeled as a "draft copy" and I know that you intend to talk to other people. This story should have a lot of quotes. But the one you use now is not a good one. It is a confusing, run-on sentence.
Most people don't talk as well as you can write. There are exceptions, but in general lean on your prose to do the heavy lifting of explaining difficult concepts and pick out quotes that back up what you write and that add emphasis, color and variety of tone.
Good job. You're tackling a difficult story, but I have every confidence that you will nail it.