Central intelligence, winter 2012

              Chancellor Glen Johnson Outlines
Legislative Agenda, Funding Needs
Oklahoma’s higher education system continues to cut costs
— while welcoming record-setting enrollments and students
graduating.
That’s the short reason higher education Chancellor Glen
Johnson gives for why the Oklahoma State Regents for
Higher Education are requesting $980 million for FY 2013,
a 3.7 percent increase from 2012.
“There is no better investment for our state than higher
education. After three years of budget cuts, we continue to
provide a top-quality educational product to our students at
a very affordable cost as we produce an education workforce
to meet the demands of our global marketplace,” he told a
group gathered at UCO in December for a preview of the
Regents’ legislative agenda.
The chancellor outlined a number of higher education cost
savings — totaling $347.3 million from 2009-13 — noting
that the reductions are offset by increases that have to be
met.
Just a couple of months earlier, he was on the Central cam-pus
for Gov. Mary Fallin’s unveiling of a plan to increase the
number of Oklahomans with college degrees. She highlighted
that Oklahoma is now part of the national initiative called
Complete College America, which has asked Oklahoma to
serve as a model for showing the nation how to increase the
number of college graduates.
Included in the Regents’ budget is a request for $27.8 mil-lion
in operating funds to address ongoing obligations, such
as increases in health insurance premiums and retirement
costs. Library expenses, instructional materials, information
technology replacements and scholarships also are expected
to increase.
Increasing financial aid will be a budget priority, he said, as
the state’s higher education system works to reduce the finan-cial
barriers that prevent students from attending college.
For more information about the Regents’ legislative agenda,
visit www.okhighered.org.
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Chancellor Glen Johnson presented the Regents’ 2013 legislative agenda at a luncheon
held in December on the UCO campus. He outlined the need for increased funding in a time of increasing enrollments and graduates.
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