Temple University receives no increase in state funding under Gov. Wolf’s proposed 2020-21 budget

Temple and other state-related universities will receive no increase in state funding under Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed 2020-21 budget, which was unveiled Tuesday.

Last year, the university received $158.2 million from the state, an approximate two-percent increase from the year before, The Temple News reported.

Temple President Richard Englert and the presidents of the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University and Lincoln University will attend two budget hearings in Harrisburg on March 3, said Ray Betzner, a spokesperson for Temple. 

They plan to ask the appropriations committees of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate for additional state dollars, Betzner said.

“Temple University has had a strong and supportive relationship with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for more than five decades,” Betzner wrote in an email to The Temple News. “President Englert will testify before state legislators on March 3 to make the case for continued support from the state for Temple and its students.”

The Senate Appropriation Committee’s budget hearing for state-related universities will take place at 10:00 a.m. and the House Appropriations Committee will hold its hearing at 1:00 p.m., according to the State Legislature website.

The Appropriations Committees of the State Legislature plan these hearings to inform their decision on the governor’s budget, Betzner said.  The appropriations committees will come up with their revised annual budget plan and ask Wolf to approve the plan in late June, Betzner added.

“It’s not at all uncommon for the governor to say, ‘I’m gonna hold you at the same rate as the previous year,’ and legislators to say, ‘No, we can find some extra money and we can make it bump up a little bit,’” Betzner said.

“That’s part of that long conversation with our representatives to talk to them about what values we bring to the commonwealth and why it’s a good investment,” Betzner added.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled Gov. Tom Wolf’s name.