As we all know, ETSU is expecting the state to pay for much of the stadium, and for that money to be included in this year's budget. As WJHL reported tonight, neither the football stadium or the PAC is in the proposed budget this year.

Not getting into politics here, but part of the state budget proposal announced tonight by Haslam might be pretty harmful to ETSU. Haslam proposed giving all high school seniors 2 years of free tuition at state community colleges or technical schools. This might be a good idea. However, it will also mean many more in-state students will attend ETSU for only 2 years instead of 4, or maybe not attend ETSU at all. This, in turn, will reduce enrollment at ETSU and will likely put a crunch on all budget items within the university, including athletics.

(02-03-2014 10:54 PM)etsubuc Wrote:  As we all know, ETSU is expecting the state to pay for much of the stadium, and for that money to be included in this year's budget. As WJHL reported tonight, neither the football stadium or the PAC is in the proposed budget this year.

Not getting into politics here, but part of the state budget proposal announced tonight by Haslam might be pretty harmful to ETSU. Haslam proposed giving all high school seniors 2 years of free tuition at state community colleges or technical schools. This might be a good idea. However, it will also mean many more in-state students will attend ETSU for only 2 years instead of 4, or maybe not attend ETSU at all. This, in turn, will reduce enrollment at ETSU and will likely put a crunch on all budget items within the university, including athletics.

Disappointed, but not surprising about the governors budget. Believe legislators from around 90 miles down the road may have reached him. However, it's only a proposal, and I do believe that Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey will come through.

(02-03-2014 11:12 PM)Bucs44 Wrote:  Disappointed, but not surprising about the governors budget. Believe legislators from around 90 miles down the road may have reached him. However, it's only a proposal, and I do believe that Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey will come through.

I agree, he wouldn't have sounded so confident if he didn't think he could come through.

(02-03-2014 10:54 PM)etsubuc Wrote:  ...
Not getting into politics here, but part of the state budget proposal announced tonight by Haslam might be pretty harmful to ETSU. Haslam proposed giving all high school seniors 2 years of free tuition at state community colleges or technical schools. This might be a good idea. However, it will also mean many more in-state students will attend ETSU for only 2 years instead of 4, or maybe not attend ETSU at all. This, in turn, will reduce enrollment at ETSU and will likely put a crunch on all budget items within the university, including athletics.

That was also my first reaction. On the other side, I wonder how many more students the community colleges can serve.

Someone else can explain it better than me, but the money from the stadium doesn't come from "state appropriations." It's the same as the Nashville Sounds ballpark. The state is issuing bonds to ETSU to build the stadium, which is a nice PC way to say the state is loaning them the money to build it, and the money will be paid back of a period of X amount of years through the use of a student fee.
Because the PAC is supposed to be used also for educational purposes, that money may still be there but there may be a bond as well. And didn't they have some kind of an agreement in place about ETSU raising private money by a certain point and once that's done then the state contractually obligated itself to match those funds to build it?

(02-04-2014 05:34 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Someone else can explain it better than me, but the money from the stadium doesn't come from "state appropriations." It's the same as the Nashville Sounds ballpark. The state is issuing bonds to ETSU to build the stadium, which is a nice PC way to say the state is loaning them the money to build it, and the money will be paid back of a period of X amount of years through the use of a student fee.
Because the PAC is supposed to be used also for educational purposes, that money may still be there but there may be a bond as well. And didn't they have some kind of an agreement in place about ETSU raising private money by a certain point and once that's done then the state contractually obligated itself to match those funds to build it?

Hmmm that doesn't seem to be what this article or Haslam is saying.
http://johnsoncitypress.com/article/1144...-this-year

Quote:Gov. Bill Haslam said Tuesday that an expected decline in state revenues will mean East Tennessee State University’s fine and performing arts center and football stadium projects will not be funded this year.

Seems pretty cut and dried.

(02-04-2014 02:15 PM)WingedWarrior Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 10:54 PM)etsubuc Wrote:  ...
Not getting into politics here, but part of the state budget proposal announced tonight by Haslam might be pretty harmful to ETSU. Haslam proposed giving all high school seniors 2 years of free tuition at state community colleges or technical schools. This might be a good idea. However, it will also mean many more in-state students will attend ETSU for only 2 years instead of 4, or maybe not attend ETSU at all. This, in turn, will reduce enrollment at ETSU and will likely put a crunch on all budget items within the university, including athletics.

That was also my first reaction. On the other side, I wonder how many more students the community colleges can serve.

The community college system in Tennessee has a graduation rate of approximately 26% (the public Universities roughly twice that rate). The community colleges serve a lot of folks but apparently very poorly if graduates is the measure to be used. Citizens should be asking why the legislators are shoving money at a system that has failed to deliver - while starving the public Universities.

(02-04-2014 09:53 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(02-04-2014 02:15 PM)WingedWarrior Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 10:54 PM)etsubuc Wrote:  ...
Not getting into politics here, but part of the state budget proposal announced tonight by Haslam might be pretty harmful to ETSU. Haslam proposed giving all high school seniors 2 years of free tuition at state community colleges or technical schools. This might be a good idea. However, it will also mean many more in-state students will attend ETSU for only 2 years instead of 4, or maybe not attend ETSU at all. This, in turn, will reduce enrollment at ETSU and will likely put a crunch on all budget items within the university, including athletics.

That was also my first reaction. On the other side, I wonder how many more students the community colleges can serve.

The community college system in Tennessee has a graduation rate of approximately 26% (the public Universities roughly twice that rate). The community colleges serve a lot of folks but apparently very poorly if graduates is the measure to be used. Citizens should be asking why the legislators are shoving money at a system that has failed to deliver - while starving the public Universities.

A lot transfer to a 4 year before completing their 2 year degree. He is also proposing that they allow those students to finish their 2 year degree at the new college while working towards a bachelor’s degree.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/201401...ng-degrees

(02-04-2014 10:04 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  A lot transfer to a 4 year before completing their 2 year degree.

I don't know data that supports this.

He is also proposing that they allow those students to finish their 2 year degree at the new college while working towards a bachelor’s degree.

This is old hat, already in place and has been at ETSU for 1-2 years now.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/201401...ng-degrees

See above.

You also have to understand the unpopular fact that community colleges admit people who aren't ready for college, and therefore drop out. This isn't a sign of weakness, instead it is a sign that the community colleges do not simply pass everyone. I would expect the graduation rate percentage to increase under the new proposal.

How can TN waive tuition at the two year schools and not waive tuition for the first two years at the four year schools? And, of course, who will pick up this new tab here? Where is the governor finding all this new money for higher education? Seems that the four year schools would put up one hell of a fight over this. The state has been cutting state support for all the state schools for years now. This seems like a radical departure, and at a time the governor is saying that state revenues are missing their projections. What's going on here?

The money is coming from taking the reserve fund from the lottery fund down from $400 million to $100 million. That will probably support the program until Haslam's next term is over and he is out of office, then it will likely become a major annual expense.

(02-05-2014 10:30 AM)etsubuc Wrote:  The money is coming from taking the reserve fund from the lottery fund down from $400 million to $100 million. That will probably support the program until Haslam's next term is over and he is out of office, then it will likely become a major annual expense.

TN needs to increase the current scholarship program to up the reward for hard work and good grades if the money is there. But, don't know how wise it is to deplete that fund, however. The good students are the people most likely to make the biggest impact on the state's future economic growth. This whole country needs to up the rewards to people who actually contribute to the future of the country and help grow the economy and create private sector jobs. Or, use the money, if they're determined to spend it, on higher education across the board to help ease tuition at ALL the state schools. But, just giving it to the two-year schools only is not right. Governor must have some relatives and friends at the two year schools. In addition, the downtown Johnson City branch of the NE TN two year community college would have no tuition while up the road, ETSU students would continue paying full tuition? Does that make any sense at all? As an ETSU parent, I would be raising some mighty hell.

Gov bredesen a democrat made this same propsal a few years back. The republican senate and house killed it quickly ..saying it's a terrible idea.. will they go for it this time because a republican gov is pushing it now

Northeast State at Johnson City (below). With the govs proposal, local commuter students could attend this state school tuition/fees free for two years in the transfer to-a-four-year-college program and then continue at ETSU for their last two years, paying tuition/fees, of course, and receiving an ETSU degree while local commuter ETSU freshmen and sophomores would be required to pay full tuition/fees. Looks like one hell of a class action lawsuit to me.

http://www.northeaststate.edu/johnsoncity/

(02-06-2014 06:45 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  Northeast State at Johnson City (below). With the govs proposal, local commuter students could attend this state school tuition/fees free for two years in the transfer to-a-four-year-college program and then continue at ETSU for their last two years, paying tuition/fees, of course, and receiving an ETSU degree while local commuter ETSU freshmen and sophomores would be required to pay full tuition/fees. Looks like one hell of a class action lawsuit to me.

http://www.northeaststate.edu/johnsoncity/

And I am thinking the whole idea could be DOA.