Minnesota State responds to budget proposal from Gov. Walz

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, Feb. 19, 2019 – Gov. Tim Walz today announced the priorities for his budget covering FY2020 – FY2021. The proposal includes a $51.6 million investment in new funding over the biennium and $150 million for asset preservation in the facilities of our state colleges and universities.

Minnesota State responds with the following:

“We appreciate Gov. Walz’s focus on our facilities’ infrastructure and asset preservation, and we share his perspective that all Minnesotans should have access to a quality, affordable higher education,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State. “The budget proposed by Gov. Walz would also allow us to continue our progress towards replacing our outdated student records system which will improve service to our students.

“Our budget proposal is focused on meeting the needs of our students, our colleges and universities, and the communities they serve. We remain concerned about the financial health of our colleges and universities, and we look forward to continuing our work with the governor and legislators to strengthen access to a high quality, affordable higher education, ensure the success of our students, and deliver the talent Minnesota needs.”

For more information about the Minnesota State budget and bonding requests, visit www.minnstate.edu/legislative.

Minnesota State includes 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 375,000 students. It is the fourth-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.