By Dan Carden, Times of Northwest Indiana
dan.carden@nwi.com
INDIANAPOLIS | Tuition rates at state colleges and universities should remain the same, but programs and staff at Northwest Indiana schools could be consolidated or eliminated to save the state money.
Those are two of the 18 recommendations the Indiana Commission for Higher Education sent to Gov. Mitch Daniels on Tuesday. Daniels asked the commission to suggest ways $150 million could be cut from higher education budgets through June 2011.
Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers said she believes most of the reductions can be accomplished through increased efficiency.
For example, administrative and admissions staff at Indiana University Northwest and Ivy Tech Community College, both in Gary, and Purdue University Calumet, in Hammond, could be combined to reduce duplication, said Mike Smith, chairman of the higher education commission.
"It's an opportunity to look in at who does what well and at how do we make it work the best for that part of the state," Lubbers said.
She said the possibility of closing Northwest Indiana campuses was "not a discussion point at all."
The commission also recommended school-by-school budget reductions for the Republican governor to implement.
In absolute dollars, Indiana University would take the biggest hit, losing nearly $59 million of its $1.02 billion, two-year budget. Purdue University would lose about $45 million of its $751 million appropriation.
Indiana State University is slated to lose nearly 7 percent of its funds. The school, located in Terre Haute, would see its budget reduced to $147 million from $157 million.
Boards of trustees for each college or university will make the final decisions on how to cut their budgets and which campuses will be affected.
Daniels ordered the education cuts because state revenue has not kept up with state spending. Without budget reductions, Indiana would outspend its revenue by $1.8 billion through June 2011.