Monday, July 23, 2007

College funding emerges as Kentucky gubernatorial issue

If you're looking for issues that separate Gov. Ernie Fletcher and Steve Beshear, the man who wants Fletcher's job, here's one: Whether universities should be able to borrow money.

Beshear, speaking to about 110 people in Covington on Friday, said he believes universities should have the authority to issue bonds for projects that are self-supporting.

"Universities and colleges need to have that kind of autonomy," Beshear said in answer to a question. "We need to trust our leadership at our universities."

Currently universities wanting to borrow money for a capital project must get the state to issue bonds, even if the university's money - such as student fees or housing fees - would be used to pay them off.

Beshear's answer was a welcome one for his audience.

Northern Kentucky University says it lost 200 students for the coming school year because it didn't have enough dormitory space. But a plan to convert a former nursing home near NKU to a 460-bed dormitory has been held up because the legislature and Fletcher can't agree on whether to approve $8.5 million in bonding needed for renovations.

This from the Cincinnati Post.

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