President talks budget, resources at town hall meeting

  Thursday, July 9, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

PSU faculty and staff gathered in the Miller Theater on Wednesday, July 8, for an overview of the 2015 legislative session. They were joined by 150 others who viewed the town-hall style meeting live on pittstate.tv.

President Steve Scott was accompanied in the presentation by Shawn Naccarato, director of government and community relations, and Riley Scott, PSU’s legislative liaison.

All three noted how unusually difficult the session was. They said the budget passed by the legislature and signed by the governor was a victory for higher education because university budgets were not cut as legislators wrestled to find ways to bridge a yawning budget gap.

President Scott cautioned that stormy weather could still lie ahead and said the university will be watching closely as FY ‘16 progresses. He noted that the governor still must cut $50 million in spending to close the budget gap and revenue estimates have continued to fall short.

The three pointed to several bills passed that are of interest to PSU employees, including one that could affect leave for university support staff, a second that cleared the way for a land swap between the university and the city, and a third that gives current and former members of the military in-state tuition.

At the conclusion of the meeting, President Scott, Naccarato and Riley Scott fielded questions from the audience and those watching online.

To view the entire town hall meeting, go to YouTube.com/pittsburgstate.