Oregon’s public universities and community colleges will receive all of the funding they have requested from the state.
Passing a higher education budget bill as the Oregon Legislature wrapped up over the weekend gives public universities $ 900 million and community colleges an estimated $ 703 million dollars for the next two-year budget period. These funds will be distributed to individual institutions by the State Higher Education Coordination Commission.
“As Oregon emerges from pandemic, wildfire devastation and impact on the economy, our 17 community colleges stand ready to help students develop, develop and achieve their academic goals. in the pursuit of a rewarding career, “Cam Preus, executive director of the Oregon Community College Association, said in a statement.
Last December, Governor Kate Brown recommended that public universities receive about $ 836 million, while community colleges were to receive $ 641 million, or about $ 60 million less for the two sets of institutions than the budget now. approved by law.
In addition to meeting demands for full institutional budgets, higher education in Oregon has also seen other advancements during this legislative session, including bills focused on the success of under-represented students.
“The 2021 session was a much needed bright spot for students at Oregon’s public universities,” said Tom Insko, president of Eastern Oregon University and chairman of the Oregon Presidents Council.
Insko said in a statement that the legislature not only invested in university operations and financial aid programs, but also advanced policies including “basic needs navigators, streamlined credit transfer and a group of tasked with examining how best to serve underrepresented students ”.
HECC executive director Ben Cannon said in a statement that the legislature has also funded projects to update and renovate campus buildings statewide, expand college access programs and support the modernization of technology used by the state to administer student financial assistance.
“We have a long way to go to create a truly equitable and accessible post-high school education and training system, but this session was a significant step in the right direction,” Cannon said.
