NH’s Business: Impacts Expected After Funding Cuts to New Hampshire’s Public Colleges & Universities Fred Kocher speaks with Kim DeRego, the Vice President of Enrollment at UNH, and Mica Stark, a member of the New Hampshire College & University Council, on recent budget cuts made to the state’s university system and where the impacts could be felt.

CLOUDS AND OUR NEXT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS. WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE’S. BUSINESS I’M FRED KOCHER. THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE’S CURRENT BUDGET CUTS THE FUNDING OF UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, PLYMOUTH STATE UNIVERSITY AND KEENE STATE COLLEGE. TUITIONS AT THOSE CAMPUSES ARE UP. ENROLLMENTS ARE FLAT OR DOWN. THERE ARE CONCERNS IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. IT WILL IMPACT NEW HAMPSHIRE’S WORKFORCE. A STATE SUPPORTED PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND THE STATES. LOOK AT THIS GRAPH. IT’S 2024. IT SHOWS THE HIGHEST STATE SUPPORT FOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ON THE LEFT AND THE LOWEST SUPPORT ON THE RIGHT. THE ORANGE LINE AT THE END OF THE GRAPH ON THE RIGHT IS NEW HAMPSHIRE, WITH THE LEAST SUPPORT AMONG THE STATES. CONNECTICUT AND MASSACHUSETTS ARE HIGHEST IN NEW ENGLAND. NOW. CURRENT NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE BUDGET DECREASES. FUNDING FOR UNIVERSITY SYSTEM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 17.6%. THAT’S 35 MILLION OVER THE BIENNIUM. INCREASES FUNDING FOR THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, 1%, 940,000. WITH ME IN THE STUDIO TO EXPLAIN WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH FUNDING ENROLLMENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, PLYMOUTH AND KEENE ARE KIM DIRIGO, VICE PRESIDENT OF ENROLLMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND MICHAEL STARK, PRESIDENT OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY COUNCIL. NICE TO HAVE YOU IN THE STUDIO. LET ME ASK YOU, MEMBERS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE SAID WHEN THEY WERE CUTTING THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM, THERE WASN’T ENOUGH MONEY IN THE STATE BUDGET. AND SO THEY HAD SOME TOUGH DECISIONS TO MAKE. SO THE QUESTION IS, HOW DOES THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM ABSORB THAT CUT? AND WITH THE ANTICIPATED REDUCTIONS THAT ARE COMING TO BE COMPETITIVE? KIM, WE’VE WORKED VERY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE’RE PROTECTING THE CORE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AND OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE ON CAMPUS WHILE FINDING EFFICIENCIES WHERE WE CAN. YEP. YEAH. THIS IS NOT NEW. UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S A FURTHER STEP BACKWARDS. BUT THESE INSTITUTIONS ARE USED TO WORKING WITH LEAN RESOURCES WHILE MAKING SURE THAT THE CORE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE IS GOOD FOR THE STUDENTS AND READY FOR THEM TO JOIN THE WORKFORCE. AS A RESULT OF THE STATE BUDGET CUTS AND HIGHER OPERATING COSTS, I’M SURE. KIM, HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THE COST OF EDUCATION AT UNH, PLYMOUTH AND KEENE. YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS. UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, PLYMOUTH STATE AND KEENE STATE. ALL THREE ARE INCREASES. YOU SEE THE NUMBERS? THAT’S FOR RESIDENT TUITION, BOARD AND ROOM. NOW HERE IS THE NONRESIDENT TUITION ROOM AND BOARD AGAIN. UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, PLYMOUTH STATE KEENE STATE. YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS INCREASE IN EACH CASE. AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF TUITION FREEZES. THEY’RE GOING UP. THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS CONCERNED AND THEY’RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT ON WORKFORCE, ESPECIALLY THOSE OCCUPATIONS WHERE A COLLEGE DEGREE IS REQUIRED. THAT’S RIGHT. I MEAN, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THESE CUTS TO HIGHER EDUCATION. 27% OF OUR WORKFORCE IS OVER THE AGE OF 55. SO THEY’RE WONDERING WHERE ARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF WORKERS GOING TO COME FROM? HIGHER EDUCATION AS A SECTOR IN NEW HAMPSHIRE ATTRACTS A LOT OF STUDENTS. WE ARE THE BIGGEST IN-MIGRATION OF TALENT INTO THE STATE THAT OUR BUSINESSES NEED, PARTICULARLY IN THESE HIGH GROWTH AREAS LIKE LIFE SCIENCES, NURSING, HEALTH CARE, BIOMANUFACTURING AND OUR INSTITUTIONS ARE DOING A GOOD JOB RESPONDING TO THE GROWTH AND DEMAND IN THERE. BUT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS CONCERNED OF WHAT THESE CUTS MEAN FOR WHERE THAT NEXT GENERATION IS GOING TO COME FROM. HERE ARE SOME ENROLLMENT NUMBERS FOR UNH PLYMOUTH AND KEENE THAT WERE GIVEN TO THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE IN APRIL BY THE CHANCELLOR, CATHERINE PROVENCHER, AND ENROLLMENT NUMBERS 12 CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT DECLINE. FALL ENROLLMENT 2012 2023. DOWN 37.3%. THE FALL ENROLLMENT 2024 PLUS 273 STUDENTS AND THEN FALL ENROLLMENT THIS YEAR. THE NUMBERS AREN’T COMPLETE YET. THEY WILL BE IN SEPTEMBER. I’M TOLD. KIM, YOU KEEP TRACK OF ENROLLMENT. WHAT’S AFFECTING ENROLLMENT THE MOST? THE BIGGEST FACTOR AFFECTING ENROLLMENT IS UNQUESTIONABLY DEMOGRAPHICS. SIMPLY FEWER BABIES BORN IN OUR STATE AND REGION OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS. BUT THERE ARE SOME VERY INTERESTING TRENDS OF PLACES WHERE ENROLLMENT IS INCREASING IN AREAS THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE WORKFORCE NEEDS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. AS MICHAEL WAS MENTIONING. SO A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES ARE NURSING PROGRAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE SAW RECORD ENROLLMENTS THIS YEAR AFTER OPENING UP MORE SPACES, AS DID OUR PAUL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND OUR MILLYARD SCHOLARS PROGRAM IN OUR MANCHESTER CAMPUS, WHERE STUDENTS WORK ALONGSIDE BIOTECH COMPANIES RIGHT ON OUR CAMPUS TO HELP THAT BURGEONING INDUSTRY. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO INCREASE ENROLLMENT? WELL, A COUPLE OF THINGS. WE’RE REALLY FOCUSING ON AREAS WHERE WE KNOW THERE ARE GOING TO BE OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS JOBS, INTERNSHIPS, CO-OP EXPERIENCES, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WE’RE ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER POPULATIONS, SO WE HAVE DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAMS IN OUR COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES ONLINE THAT CAN BRING BACK STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT COMPLETED A DEGREE, AS WELL AS, OF COURSE, OUT-OF-STATE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS COMING TO INTERNATIONAL. DO. I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE THE CASE? KIM D’ARRIGO, VICE PRESIDENT OF ENROLLMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. THANK YOU. AND MICHAEL STARK, PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY COUNCIL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. THANK YOU. AND IF YOU MISSED PART OF THIS BRIEFING ON THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, YOU CAN GO T