ASU Mountain Home is likely to see further future improvements from ACT 148. Governor Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday signed the bill that requires the state to adopt a “performance-based” model for funding higher education rather than basing the money on enrollment. ACT 148 links college and university funding to factors such as the number of students who complete their degrees.
Arkansas State University System President Dr. Charles Welch says work still remains on the specifics, however the framework shows higher education is committed to accountability and to operating more efficiently.
Chancellor for Arkansas State University Mountain Home, Dr. Robin Myers has noticed, over a number of years, funding has been stagnant for two-year institutions across the state.
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Hutchinson has said he’ll call for increasing higher education funding by $10 million in 2018 if the plan was approved.
The state’s colleges and universities received about $733 million in the state’s current $5.3 billion budget, and that funding would not change in the fiscal year that begins July 1 under the governor’s proposed budget.
Completion of student’s educational goals and student progress toward completion of their areas of study will be among top priorities. The number of excess credits a student could take would also be limited.
Hutchinson says the new formula “will encourage and empower” students to obtain their degree, license or certificate in a timely manner.
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