State support for higher education has been on the decline in Pennsylvania for years. But Pennsylvania State University leaders are now asking lawmakers to reverse course and significantly invest in higher education in next year’s state budget.
The Penn State Board of Trustees approved a request Friday that will ask the state to increase appropriations to PSU’s general fund next year by roughly 48 percent, or $115.2 million. While the 47.8 percent increase may seem like a striking number, Penn State officials say an internal analysis shows that PSU has long been underfunded compared to other state universities. Officials say the increase is needed to reach the funding level of the next-lowest-funded university.