Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum began the 2002 session by saying that the State Legislature should consider a higher education hiring freeze while looking for ways to deal with Minnesota's current budget deficit.
As a member of the Senate Higher Education Committee, I was unpleasantly surprised that Speaker Sviggum would advocate such a move. Perhaps the Speaker was unaware that rather than saving the state money, the Republican's proposed higher education hiring freeze would in fact mean untold millions of dollars in state income being lost.
For example, at the University of Minnesota's medical school, the average faculty member has less than 10 percent of their salary paid for with state tax dollars, with up to 95 percent of medical school salaries provided by federal research grants and clinic revenues. In the school's other departments, and at U of M and MnSCU institutions in every corner of Minnesota, the story is much the same.
The Republican hiring freeze would not only cost jobs at a time when job growth is vital to righting the Minnesota economy, it would result in the loss of millions in federal dollars that are coming into the state each year in the form of academic grants. And it is simply not the job of the State Legislature to micromanage staffing levels at Minnesota's colleges and universities.
Moreover, at a time when college enrollment throughout the state are at historic high levels, and the competition for the nation's best students and faculty has never been more intense, a hiring freeze would send the disturbing message that Minnesota is a place where higher education is a low priority.
I hope we can count on the support of our hardworking students and faculty in defeating the Republican notion of a costly higher education freeze.
Linda Scheid
State Senator
District 47
