Nordenberg addresses potential state appropriations cuts

Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg took the opportunity at his annual address yesterday to speak to students about the history of state budget cuts to Pitt and prepare the student body to advocate against the potential of more cuts this year.

“We’ve got to keep up a sustained advocacy effort, starting now,” Nordenberg told the room of about 80 attendees at Alumni Hall.

Noting that Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities — Pitt, Temple University, Lincoln University and Penn State University — were “designed to bring greater numbers of affordable, high-quality higher-education opportunities within the reach of students” upon their creation in 1965, Nordenberg said that when state-related university status was created, there was a widely shared view that investing in higher education was the right thing to do morally and was also the most sensible investment for a strong collective future.

But, according to Nordenberg, the financial situation has changed.

“Even before the recession hit, here in Pennsylvania support for higher education was flat — stagnant for the period of a decade,” the chancellor said.

But Nordenberg noted that even the steady funding changed in 2010 when Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett proposed a 50 percent reduction in Pitt’s general appropriation and that funding for the University’s academic medical center be eliminated.

After advocacy efforts made by the Pitt community that year, the general appropriation cuts were reduced to 19 percent and health center funding was cut by 50 percent.

In the years that followed, Pitt faced a series of further cuts. Most recently, the University found itself facing a new proposed 30 percent general appropriations cut last February, which was eventually eliminated in favor of flat funding.

Nordenberg said that when faced with last year’s proposed cuts, Pitt’s undergraduate Student Government Board and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly ensured that elected officials heard student opinions through a campaign that included letters, phone calls, emails and social media advocacy.

Last year, Pitt also organized its largest delegation of students ever to travel to Pitt Day in Harrisburg, a day when students have the opportunity to meet face to face with elected representatives in the state capital to make the case for higher-education funding.

Nordenberg said that students were joined in this advocacy by alumni, faculty, friends, staff and trustees who expressed their particular interest in Pitt and general support for the cause for higher public education.

“Every dollar from that proposed cut in February was restored because legislators heard what they had to say,” he said.

Nordenberg added that anyone can cut costs, but that cutting costs while preserving quality is the real trick.

Nordenberg said that he is waiting to learn what level of funding Corbett will propose for Pitt this coming year on Feb. 5, the day the governor releases his budget recommendations.

The chancellor also offered tips to students on how to speak to elected officials and treat them respectfully. He said to think of an effective way to portray your message and link your message to your own experiences.

Parth Patel, a junior neuroscience major, thoroughly enjoyed what Nordenberg had to say.

“I thought it was really honest. It gave us some insight in what we should do for Pitt Day in Harrisburg [and] the steps we can take as students to ensure that budget cuts don’t go further,” Patel said.

Jenny Verbiar, a junior athletic training major, agreed that Nordenberg was helpful in giving students advice in talking to elected officials, especially if this was something new for students.

“It’s amazing that they wanted to cut that much, and that through Pitt Day in Harrisburg and his efforts with legislature, they’ve been able to save that much for us,” Verbiar said.

Pitt Day in Harrisburg is Feb. 12 and registration for it is currently taking place on the Student Government Board’s website.

Nordenberg concluded his speech by relating the issue of budget cuts to the 225th anniversary celebration that Pitt is holding this year.

“The theme for our 225 celebration was 225 years of building better lives, and it isn’t just a slogan. This is an institution of choice for talented, idea-forming, hardworking students. This is a place that is particularly well-equipped to nurture the abilities and advance the dreams of those students,” he said.

[Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the number of people who attended the event. The story previously said 30 people arrived for the speech. The story now correctly reflects about 80 people who showed up in some capacity for the speech.]