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>> Hart With the final vote of the state's General Assembly and with the Governor's approval,
we now know what the Commonwealth appropriation for Temple University for the 2012 fiscal
year will be. While we will not receive as much money for operations as we have in the
past, Temple will not suffer the more than 50 percent reduction that was proposed earlier
this year. I want to thank everyone in the extended Temple community for coming together
to advocate on behalf of our students and the university. In the last four months, you
sent more than 10,000 letters and emails to the governor and the members of the General
Assembly. Along with making countless telephone calls and personal visits to state officials,
this tremendous effort was the largest outpouring of advocacy ever recorded at Temple University.
Our students and faculty, employees and parents, alumni and friends, trustees and administration
made their voices heard in the halls of the Capitol in Harrisburg. As someone who has
spent many hours personally talking with our elected leaders and government officials,
I know your efforts caught the attention of everyone involved in the Commonwealth budgeting
process. Temple will face continued challenges as the Commonwealth recovers from the recession
and elected leaders debate whether to continue funding public higher education institutions
or create a "money follows the student" voucher system. We will need to continue to strongly
make the case for the critical partnership between the Commonwealth and Temple University
that provides educational opportunities to our students. With Pennsylvania's budget finalized,
we can move forward to address the implications for Temple's budget. In light of reduced Commonwealth
funding, we will reduce costs. Our plans call for us to reduce Temple's operating costs
by $36 million dollars in fiscal year 2012, and we will focus with energy and commitment
on increasing revenues through fund raising, research and entrepreneurship. The bulk of
the funding cuts will come from trimming the administrative operations of the University.
And while we have had to raise tuition, Temple remains one of the best values in the nation
among leading urban universities. We also have set aside additional funding for financial
aid in the coming year's budget to make good on our pledge of access for talented students
with limited means. We remain dedicated to providing a high quality public education
to the tens of thousands of students who rely on Temple University. Thank you again for
all you have done on Temple's behalf. Enjoy the rest of your summer. I look forward to
another extraordinary academic year when we begin classes in the fall.