Haas testifies before Senate committee

President Thomas J. Haas testified in Lansing March 18 before the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Haas commended Gov. Rick Snyder and the Legislature for funding state universities based on performance, but advocated that appropriation should be performance tested.  

“As of today, 7 percent of funding is awarded through performance metrics, which means 93 percent isn’t,” Haas said. “While I recognize the need for stable funding, I suspect the public might be surprised to learn that only a small portion of the appropriation is actually reviewed for performance.  

“Today’s students and families deserve the benefits that improved performance brings, so I encourage you to speed the pace toward more performance testing.”
 
Haas explained cost-cutting measures Grand Valley has established, including the Grand Finish, a program in which students who complete 90 credit hours in three years get a tuition discount of nearly 10 percent for their senior year.

He also shared the university’s Accountability Report and a recent Grand Valley Magazine article that highlighted a public administration class project. Students in the class researched and reported to Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell ways to keep college graduates in West Michigan after they graduated.