Penn State, Pitt and Temple are slated to get performance-based funding under legislation the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed in November, and while leaders praised the model, the funding for it still has to be worked out.
"There is some cause for optimism," said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi, speaking to the Faculty Senate in November.
"While it may not seem momentous, I still remember three years ago when I first testified before the General Assembly and, asking for a performance-based funding formula, it wasn’t met with wide acclaim," she said. "But here we are, three plus years later, we at least have a performance-based funding formula approved."
The legislation lays out the factors that will be used to allot the funding. They include the number of students with financial need, how many transfer from community colleges and the number who graduate in high-demand fields.
State Rep. Paul Takac, whose district includes Penn State’s University Park campus, said the universities now have the baseline information that will be assessed.
“I think it's a very comprehensive way to look at the value that public higher education brings to our Commonwealth," he said.
Takac said the expectation is that there will be funds appropriated based on that model in next year's budget.
“I'm encouraged that we've made this progress so far," he said. "I'm hopeful that we will actually get funding appropriated, but that is always the fight.”
Penn State has not seen an increase in general state funding since 2019.
