Mississippi College Board Committees Discuss Budget Cuts

IHL board members are reacting to the Governor's proposed budget cuts to public universities.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's proposed cut to higher education was the elephant in the room during Institutions of Higher Learning committee meetings yesterday. MPB's Carl Gibson reports.

While the Governor's recommendations for public university merging proved controversial, the president of Mississippi's IHL board doesn't think knee-jerk reactions are productive. Dr. Scott Ross says it's best to slow down and find a creative solution that works.

"I don't think anybody should act like the sky is falling yet. I mean, the process takes awhile. I really do believe our system is going to be very much different when we come through this. Probably at the end of 3 years from now."

The proposal to consolidate universities isn't being taken too seriously by Jackson State University President Ronald Mason. He says the procedure would be costly and ineffective.

"Politically, it's probably not going to go very far, because I have seen no sentiment for it at all. So my reaction was, you know, we still have a lot of money to cut out of our budgets and I don't know that that had much to do with anything in terms of the long-term reality of our situation."

However, Senator Doug Davis says there isn't much leeway for a legislative alternative to what Governor Barbour has suggested.

"The question I would have is...if not the Governor's proposal, then what? And, there's only so much money that the legislature will have. All of this will be part of the conversation we will have, but yes, I think the Governor has made some challenging proposals that I think at the end of the day will probably be seriously considered."

The college board and university presidents will discuss the governor's proposals at today's general IHL meeting in Jackson.