[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6575203,"mediaKeyId","3127336-0b61d44a8c9379245b341005e6d7a63e","parentId",3127336,"title","University System warns deep House cuts would force program, staffing changes","audioSeconds",2796,"startMs",1400000,"endMs",4196000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3127336-0b61d44a8c9379245b341005e6d7a63e&start=1400&end=4196","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3127336-0b61d44a8c9379245b341005e6d7a63e/thumbnail_1400000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6575203/New-Hampshire/University-System-warns-deep-House-cuts-would-force-program-staffing-changes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575203-56aace52d3bec024d18b27e8ff37c616/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154722&Signature=Po7b2s4Dl8fonqs~e55yGR3DXHLSM~wdQeqPRgwZcma3AcTwc2h3Ks701kyEo7ywRzdD33YtffIWmrMmeU6FFkCVfZmt2rxb-C1~Mgc5QJmNYE5dYatv~kJ3rnHwOcYHRC23i~LIf1vt5V-1ArIzg4MOen4jeqYXPnQH4iwtFmwl05Mt3eRzVFX1qw0IggCpf6jsJ8F01uNownpi4YkMuzGsgX-xpJ1DGgFATQ3CJEteLvJg5lCp5uUkRt~Eq1UKZWPaOMUX5A8uvyy0PjambtbDdr3P60oesLbYDke7jquA2sl-9zKh8d4gO7AF9zfc8ghwxqVUg0EUppMg13Rdcw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-04-25T20:06:49.94Z","article","Catherine Provencher, chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire, told the Senate Finance Committee that the House budget’s reduction of roughly $57.6 million over the biennium would be “unsustainable” for the system and would force “massive restructuring” if enacted.

Provencher and Mike Pilati, chair of the Board of Trustees, told senators the university system already faces a structural budget gap driven by a long-term enrollment decline and changing market conditions. The university system’s current operating picture, they said, depends on state support that offsets in‑state tuition; the governor’s budget proposed a modest reduction the system could manage but the House’s adopted budget would cut state investment by about 30% from the current biennium, they said.

The university system receives roughly $95 million in state support this year, Provencher said; about $81 million of that directly subsidizes in‑state tuition (about $7,300 per resident student). Pilati said the House cut would reduce the state investment to levels the board believes would require “deep changes” to preserve quality and access.

“We cannot generate the revenue needed by raising tuition at the levels that would be required,” Provencher said, noting the system raised tuition by 19.5% and 13.5% in prior years when faced with similar cuts and that such increases are not feasible today. The trustees project enrollment declines tied to demographics and a “discounting” arms race among competing institutions; the system projects an additional 12% drop by 2030 under current trends.

Pilati and Provencher presented economic impact figures the system uses to justify state investment: about $3.7 billion in annual economic impact, tens of thousands of alumni living in New Hampshire, and roughly 3,000 recent alumni entering the New Hampshire workforce in the year referenced. Pilati said research expansion at the University of New Hampshire (now classified R1) drives business partnerships and that capital projects such as the Spalding Life Sciences Building are examples of the system’s return on state investment.

Trustees said they have already taken cost containment steps—fewer employees, early retirement incentives, centralized administrative functions, and an ERP investment to reduce duplication—but said those measures will not be sufficient under the House’s proposed reductions. They outlined a multi‑year structural plan that could include program rationalization across campuses, administrative consolidation, and targeted tuition increases to maintain a minimal operating margin; Pilati said the board manages institutions to about a 1% operating margin to protect reserves for innovation and resilience.

Senators pressed on specifics, including the projected effect on statutory programs and the share of operating expenses that relate to state funding (trustees said roughly $556 million of operating expenses are related tangentially to state dollars, after excluding dorm/room and board and grants). Provencher and Pilati asked for ongoing dialogue and recommended restoring funding to the governor’s level to preserve the system’s workforce pipeline role.

Background: trustees said the system has cut positions and centralized services and that enrollment fell from about 30,400 in 2019 to about 26,440 in the current academic year. They described a multi‑pronged plan—program clustering, shared online courses and administrative efficiencies—to align capacity with projected lower enrollments while preserving student access.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Finance (04/25/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","Catherine Provencher, chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire, told the Senate Finance Committee that the House budget’s roughly $57.6 million cut over the biennium would be “unsustainable” and force major program and staffing changes.","taxTitle","Judiciary, Senate , Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",29511,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6575198,"Community colleges highlight workforce training, early college gains and budget risks",949,4615000,5564000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3127336-0b61d44a8c9379245b341005e6d7a63e&start=4615&end=5564","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3127336-0b61d44a8c9379245b341005e6d7a63e/thumbnail_4615000.jpg","/articles/6575198/New-Hampshire/Community-colleges-highlight-workforce-training-early-college-gains-and-budget-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575198-460abe5fef69bd4870cc73a6f9164561/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154722&Signature=IYuBd9nscjSHCxqQ-iboQs~u5JHHOQfYoGU5369b~AMzz-piOYKOVlAVzkO7xzFAmcCGHSxjAw4X3OwBZ~tEy1YfD1seZ1urVWlU29n0Zfj6Dllba1ok1Hqxpe7~pyHkCZLPEzzZOS6btt07zDZydr6pKnP14IOy88~v~ZWgzXojv~xdupD2gk~IMR8MCC1QbnVZy8SL3TLhFdywcNG5qmShJ7PfgUXv5arCAdP9T8ZfFkM~Iy0zW3cvUSAtxelMpbMqA-cSQFPUnhWe~Vhi1BYm-3ZzmaVXyJh2uZh26eKjhzDOAK9UfJjw63NQf0NLGQ3wNInyX876zpKzaVbPag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mark Rubinstein, chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire, and Shannon Reid, director of government affairs and communications, described the system’s role in supplying credentialed workers for the state and outlined budget items the House trimmed from the governor’s proposal.

Rubinstein said the system served roughly 24,000 students in the last year: about 12,000 in credit programs leading to degrees and certificates, roughly 10,000 in early college programs (high‑school students earning college credits) and around 2,500 in noncredit workforce programs, including apprenticeships. He told senators campuses across the state tailor programs to regional employer needs.

Officials showed labor bureau data linking projected openings to community college credentials, with a heavy concentration of demand in health‑care occupations (LNA, medical assistant) and trades (CDL, HVAC, advanced manufacturing). Reid said recent state investments enabled many colleges to add LNA and medical assistant pipelines and to create an apprenticeship for nursing center directors.

On budget specifics, the college system said the governor’s recommendation increased funding for dual and concurrent enrollment, maintained workforce credential funding and proposed a tuition freeze extension; the House reduced dual/concurrent enrollment funding from the governor’s level and cut the proposed tuition‑freeze support. System officials urged restoration of early college funding (which the system said supported roughly 11,000 students and 60,000 credits in the cited year) because of its high return on investment.

Senators and college leaders discussed access and program design for adult learners: many nursing students are returning adults rather than recent high‑school graduates and the system is reviewing admission tests (such as the TEAS) and alternative readiness assessments to remove barriers while maintaining academic standards. Reid said about 1 in 5 nursing students already holds a bachelor’s degree in another field.

The system noted it has frozen tuition for six consecutive years and limited increases over a longer span, emphasizing affordability as a priority. Officials also described partnerships with the university system (articulation agreements and the pathways from House Bill 1530) and requested continued legislative support for early college and workforce investments to maintain local pipelines into the New Hampshire economy.","Community College System officials told the committee the system serves about 24,000 students across credit, early‑college and workforce programs, emphasized rapid expansion in healthcare and trades credentials, and warned cuts to early college or workforce funding would reduce capacity for in‑state workforce pipelines.","actionData","errors"]

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University System warns deep House cuts would force program, staffing changes

Community colleges highlight workforce training, early college gains and budget risks