At today’s quarterly Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) meeting, commissioners approved a $121,147,171M budget recommendation for higher education for FY 2020-21. The amount represents a 6.8% increase over the FY 2019-20 appropriation.
“This recommendation will bring Alabama’s public colleges and universities closer to their pre-recession (2008) level of support from the Education Trust Fund,” said ACHE Executive Director Jim Purcell. “The proposal provides for a minimum increase of five percent for all institutions and provides additional funding for particular campus activities or needs.”
ACHE is required by law to present a single unified higher education budget recommendation for the institutions to the governor and legislature each year.
ACHE will be asking lawmakers to include a five percent increase in the Alabama Student Assistance Program that supports students from families of the working poor. Two new need-based initiatives, Career Promise and College Promise, would help students from low-income families earn a postsecondary award for careers in high-demand fields in their community.
A top priority in the Commission’s Higher Education Strategic Plan,Building Human Capital, focuses on developing Alabama’s economy and workforce by aligning educational offerings with career pathways in high-demand fields.
ACHE maintains the Alabama Statewide Student Database, which now has over 12.5 million student records. One of the reports produced from the student data lists the healthcare field as the top producer among Alabama’s public higher education institutions in bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.
“Education supplying marketplace demand. The combination will spell success for Alabama’s future economic growth,” said Robin McGill, ACHE director of Instruction.
The following programs were approved:
Auburn University
Master of Science in Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation
Bachelor of Arts in International Studies in Liberal Arts
Doctor of Philosophy in Building Construction
University of Alabama
Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Engineering Design
University of South Alabama
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Supply Chain and Logistics
Management
University of West Alabama
Associate of Science in Tutorial Mathematics
Bevill State Community College
Associate in Applied Science and Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Technology
Bishop State Community College
Associate in Applied Science in Airframe Technology
Associate in Applied Science in Power Plant Technology
Associate in Applied Science in Avionics Technology
Shelton State Community College
Associate in Applied Science and Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Technology
Drake State Community and Technical College
Associate in Applied Science in Nursing
Lawson State Community College
Associate in Applied Science and Certificate in Hospitality Services Management
