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>>State Senator Jake Corman: I look at every appropriation as an investment. And in every
investment you want a return. And so we felt it appropriate to come out and hear first
hand on the sites of these universities, which are
obviously four very significant universities in the Commonwealth, to hear first hand what
they are doing with the state taxpayer dollars. How it's benefiting not only the students
here at Temple University but also the community at large.
>>President Ann Weaver Hart: We hope that the panelists will be able to share with you
their perspective on Temple University and we'll be able to expand the information that
you have so that you will be able to work with us as we
meet again.
[Audio: bulldozer]
>>Patrick O'Connor: Your investment in this institution is working. You are growing economic
capital but more important you are growing and sustaining human capital which is imperative
to the future of this commonwealth. And they take this
educational degree and they add value to this city and to this commonwealth.
>>Anthony Wagner: If you divide the appropriation by the number of in-state, full-time equivalent
students that we have, the subsidy is over $5,000 dollars a year. So what that means
is that those in-state students are paying about $5,000
less than it costs to educate them. And so it's not hard to understand that that's real
money.
>>State Senator Vince Hughes: The issue about Temple University Hospital and specifically
the emergency room and the kind of, the quality of care, but the fact is is that in that community,
that is the point of entry for healthcare delivery
services.
>>Mayor Michael Nutter: To be honest with you, their emergency room is almost a general
practitioners office. I mean that is a first stop. Philadelphia has the highest poverty
rate of the major cities in the United States of America. There is
no reason in the world why we should not be able to drive that college degree attainment
rate. Doing that will help us deal with the poverty rate. These issues are inextricably
tied together. And Temple University, strategically located in
North Philadelphia, continuing to invest in this community, providing access, providing
service, providing programs, honestly providing jobs and economic opportunities right here
in the neighborhood, they are the economic engine of
North Philadelphia.
>>Larry Kaiser: Last year, we discharged from the Temple University Hospital, 27,000 patients.
We registered over 300,000 outpatients and cared for 125,000 emergency department visitors.
We in fact are the de facto public hospital, as
I think the mayor mentioned to you. We are a safety net hospital and we are relied upon
by those that are under-served by the medical community.
>>Colin Saltry: Without access to an affordable college education, the Commonwealth would
in effect be pricing middle and lower class students out of their own futures. So I ask
then on behalf of all Temple students, that you keep funding
Temple University at current levels so that we continue living the mission of our founder
Russell Conwell.
>>Corman: The word you use at the very end is the most important word to this hearing,
which is affordability. I mean that's the very issue that we all need to continually
explore. Thank you for your hospitality here today. Thank you very
much.
[Audio: crowd murmuring]