Grand Valley State University's President Arend D. Lubbers Friday asked a Senate panel to provide more financial assistance to GVSU, the state's fastest growing university. GVSU receives the lowest per-student appropriation among the state's 15 campuses. The Governor and Legislature have agreed that GVSU should receive $4,500 per FYES (fiscal year equated student) but GVSU has never received more than $3,623 per FYES. The time has come to close the gap, Lubbers said in testimony to the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee, which held a budget hearing in Grand Rapids today.
The Governor and Legislature have agreed that every student on every public campus should be supported with an appropriation of at least $4,500 per FYES, Lubbers said. This is not supposed to be a ceiling or a goal ¿ it is supposed to be the minimum, below which we should not fall. The fact is, we've never met it. We've never even been close. For nearly two decades, Grand Valley has been 15th ¿ last place ¿ in funding per student. And the gap between 15th and 14th place is widening, not narrowing.
There is the matter of regional fairness as well, Lubbers continued. With the creation of Grand Valley 40 years ago, Grand Rapids was one of the last areas in the state to get a public university. Grand Valley is still growing, both as a response to regional demand and because we are adding programs needed by the communities we serve. We have several new programs in the pipeline, particularly in the health professions, which will be difficult to commence if regional demand continues to outpace the percentage increase in our appropriation, Grand Valley's president said.
The time has come to close the gap, which for Grand Valley is the largest among the regional campuses. Let me put it this way: if you do not close the gap this year, when the state is flush with tax collections, when will you? Surely our region, our students and our institution deserve the minimum the state has to offer, Lubbers concluded.
