Adequate Higher Education Funding is a Necessity

"Never before has the academic mission of colleges and universities-to generate and impart knowledge-been so fundamentally tied to regional economic success."
Greater Philadelphia's Knowledge Industry Plan

Oregon's and Portland's economy depends on our ability to meet the knowledge and workforce needs required to strengthen, attract and keep businesses that will provide family wage jobs.

Higher Education requires Adequate Funding. The Co-Chairs' budgets (see below) for operating the Oregon University System and the Oregon Community College System need shoring up. The capital budgets need a lifeline. I have been advocating for higher education in Salem, through letters,  and here in Portland.

I now describe higher education as our knowledge industry. Included under the label of higher education I include colleges, universities, community colleges and career colleges. Manufacturing jobs have left the country in droves; we need to develop jobs linked to products and services dependent on knowledge to keep our economy robust.

Higher education and workforce training is not a luxury for Oregon. The State has determined that over 600,000 skilled workers are needed to fill new jobs and to replace retiring workers by 2014.

There are occupations which face current gaps: nurses, healthcare workers, welders, construction trades, business services. Oregon has been working to educate more engineers; yet more are needed to fill vacancies and attract new businesses. We are becoming a center of apparel and outdoor wear design; we need the design programs to help grow this industry.

Portland has been ranked the #1 Sustainable City in the U.S. by Sustainlane.com. This distinction and Portlanders' values and efforts open many doors for the city. We need to support and increase the talent base to take advantage of our opportunities to develop products, businesses and services that increase the livability of Portland. With sustainable industries we can increase livability by cleaning our air, water, and soil, facing our development challenges in ways that align our growth with our values, and by providing living wage jobs for our residents.

Higher Education is one of the necessary ingredients for solving these problems and capitalizing on these and other opportunities. Oregon can't afford to under-fund higher education any longer.

These are the numbers...the Governor's Recommended Budget are more challenging for legislators to reach, but it is necessary:

Community Colleges:
• Operating Funds
o $483 million Governor's Budget Recommendation
o $453 million Co-Chairs' Recommendation
• Capital Funds for Repair and Construction
o $103Million Governor's Budget Recommendation
o $ 6.5 Million Co-Chairs' Recommendation

Oregon University System:
• Operating Funds
o $864.5 million Governor's Budget Recommendation
o $840 million Co-Chairs' Recommendation
• Capital Funds for Repair and Construction
o $313.8 million Governor's Budget Recommendation
o $ 53 million Co-Chairs' Recommendation

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