Representatives of the North Dakota University System say they're generally pleased with Gov. Jack Dalrymple's budget proposal for higher education.
Dalrymple’s budget increases spending on higher education by $89 million. It also proposes a new funding formula for the universities, based on course hours completed by students. Business and financial officials from the state's 11 campuses helped develop that funding model.
"It's simply equatable funding," said NDSU President Dean Breschani. "The past model has become tragically flawed, and isn't serving the state of North Dakota well. The campuses agree the new model is an objective, fair, equatable model, and is an intelligent approach to the funding of higher education."
"We hope to be held harmless in our revenues, as it relates to that funding formula," said UND Presidet Robert Kelley. "That's certainly the intent, to find a way to use completed, adjusted credit hours to fund on that basis. I'm very confident we will be able to make this move forward."
Kelley says some legislators have talked about a funding model based on performance.
"We welcome that too," said Kelley. "If we could find a merging of those two models, I think it would be a very solid way to fund our programs across the system."
University System Chancellor Hamid Shirvani had requested 30 new positions in the system office, to help with legal and compliance issues. Dalrymple's budget contains seven new positions.
"I've got my seven, and now I'm going to campaign in the Legislature for the rest of it," said Shirvani. "That's part of my job."
Shirvani says the new funding formula underscores the need for more compliance staff in the system office.
