University Times

While the Pennsylvania budget is far from finalized, Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s proposal to eliminate funding for the Pennsylvania Governor’s Schools of Excellence (PGSE) program has forced the cancellation of one Pitt governor’s school program and the institution of tuition for the other.

The highly competitive PGSE program had enabled selected high school students to participate in free intensive five-week summer academic programs on college campuses. Pitt housed two of the eight PGSE programs offered statewide.

Pitt’s program in international studies, offered through the University Center for International Studies, has been canceled, according to John Fedele, Pitt associate director of News.

The PGSE program in health care, offered through the School of Medicine in conjunction with UPMC Health System, will continue in a shortened format under a new name, the University of Pittsburgh Health Career Scholars Academy. The program’s curriculum and administration will remain the same as under the PGSE program, UPMC spokesperson Kristin Beaver said. Tuition has been set at $1,850.

Rendell’s proposal put this summer’s programs into turmoil because students were applying to the schools when his announcement was made. Nearly 600 applications had been received for 110 slots available in the health care school. Those applications are being considered in choosing participants for the new program, Beaver said. Selection is underway and applicants will be notified of their status in mid-April.

The governor’s move to eliminate PGSE funding from the 2009-10 budget doesn’t mean the cut is final. The governor’s proposal, presented in early February, is just one step in the state’s lengthy budget process. After the governor proposes a budget, House of Representatives and Senate appropriations committees conduct public budget hearings. Legislators then introduce budget bills, which can be amended before a vote is taken. Ideally, a new state budget is passed prior to the June 30 end of the fiscal year, but legislators have not done so since 2002.

If funding for the governor’s schools is restored, it would not resurrect the international studies school for this summer, Fedele said.

However, the impact on the health careers school is unclear, according to Beaver.

Supporters of the governor’s school program, which boasts thousands of alumni, have been vocal in their protest against the cuts.

PGSE supporters staged a rally last month on the steps of the state Capitol. The governor’s proposal also spawned a “Save the Govies!” Facebook group that as of early this week had grown to more than 4,500 members. An online petition in protest of the governor’s action listed some 11,400 signatures.

The program was the subject of a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. April 1 before the House appropriations committee’s education subcommittee.

—Kimberly K. Barlow