HARRISBURG (AP) – Four of PA’s universities are plugging budget gaps while they await hundreds of millions of dollars in aid that has been snarled in a partisan dispute. The University of Pittsburgh, Penn State, Temple, and Lincoln are in line to receive about $623 million, a 7% increase proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro. The funding levels lag behind where higher education was being funded decades ago and education advocates argue that even a proposed increase in aid won’t make a dent in the under-funding of higher education in the state. This year, universities are addressing their budgets by not filling vacant positions, delaying upcoming raises, pausing some construction plans, and putting out calls for advocacy from alumni.
