{"id":346800,"date":"2025-12-16T11:34:39","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T11:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alabama\/ache-approves-2-7-billion-college-budget-requests-new-programs\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T11:34:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T11:34:39","slug":"ache-approves-2-7-billion-college-budget-requests-new-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=346800","title":{"rendered":"ACHE approves $2.7 billion college budget requests, new programs"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Alabama Commission on Higher Education approved budget requests for Fiscal Year 2027 alongside numerous college program proposals during its Friday meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Commissioners unanimously approved a roughly $2.7 billion budget recommendation for Alabama\u2019s two- and four-year public universities.<\/p>\n

The budget requests constitute a $148 million, or nearly 6 percent increase from the current fiscal year budget. Roughly $106 million more in funds were requested for four-year colleges, while roughly $30 million more in funds were requested for community colleges.<\/p>\n

Additionally, ACHE approved a $96.3 million agency budget, including $80 million in grants and funding to support state-level education programs.<\/p>\n

Accounting Director Veronica Harris explained that although the requested amount is less than the commission\u2019s current fiscal year budget of $138 million, the agency\u2019s spending will also include funds reappropriated from previous years. Reappropriated funds include $15 million for a higher education performance funding program that has yet to be developed.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil there is an agreement on what the fund is, that $15 million will continue to roll over in our budget,\u201d said ACHE Executive Director Dr. Jim Purcell. \u201cIt looks like we have all this extra money that we did not spend. But in fact, it already has some assignment that just hasn\u2019t been actually spent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The budget requests will be considered by Governor Kay Ivey in her budget proposal to lawmakers at the start of the 2026 legislative session in January.<\/p>\n

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Additionally, in his report to the commission, Purcell outlined workforce trends\u2019 impacts on higher education, including the emergence of artificial intelligence technology.<\/p>\n

Purcell cited a 2019 McKinsey Global Institute report<\/a> that roughly two-thirds of Alabama counties will have more than 25 percent job displacement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey may have different jobs, but they certainly won\u2019t have the job they have,\u201d Purcell said. \u201cFor those of you that are from my generation, there\u2019s a Pac-Man chasing us\u2014our jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur role in higher education is to address this and address it quickly,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Purcell went on to cite a poll from NBC that found 63 percent of Americans don\u2019t see the value in a four-year college degree.<\/p>\n

The commissioner attributed the loss of confidence in four-year degrees to their rising cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of it is state divestment,\u201d he said. \u201cBack when I started in higher-ed, three-quarters of the money came from the state, and just a little bit enough money for tuition was provided just to make sure the student had skin in the game. Now it\u2019s pretty much flipped.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Purcell also pointed to program expansions, aimed at recruiting students, and institutional compliance requirements, such as those laid out by Title IX and the ADA, as adding to universities\u2019 costs and driving up tuition.<\/p>\n

The executive director reported that Alabama is nearing its current goal set forth by Ivey\u2019s Success Plan initiative. The program, established in 2018, aimed to add 500,000 workers with post-secondary educations to Alabama\u2019s workforce by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n

According to Purcell, Alabama has reached 470,000 additional college-educated workers since the benchmark was set. The Lumina Foundation, which set the state\u2019s 2025 targets, has challenged<\/a> states to have 75 percent of their workforce have a college degree or \u201cother credential of value,\u201d by 2040.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we\u2019re on that treadmill. We\u2019re going to have to keep educating and moving forward,\u201d Purcell said.<\/p>\n

Four-year and community college program proposals, as well as a plan to restructure program listings at Wallace State Community College, were also approved by the commission.<\/p>\n

The board approved Alabama A&M\u2019s proposal to offer a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence, Auburn University\u2019s proposal to offer a Master of Science in Biological and Agricultural Technology Management and the University of South Alabama\u2019s proposal for a Doctor of Education in Teacher Education and a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Applied Statistics.<\/p>\n

Approved community college programs were: Calhoun Community College\u2019s proposal for an Associate of Applied Science in Video Game Production program, Drake State Community College\u2019s proposals for an Associate of Applied Science in Systems Engineering Technology program and an Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity, Ingram State Technical College\u2019s proposal for a Certificate in Horticulture program, Jefferson State Community College\u2019s proposal for an Associate of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Wallace State Community College\u2019s proposals for an Associate Degree of Applied Science in Speech and Language Pathologist Assistant program.<\/p>\n

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The board also approved a proposal to close Troy University\u2019s Phenix City campus and to sell the university\u2019s Riverfront Building property. The closure, approved by the Troy Board of Trustees in March, is expected to yield $1.1 million in annual savings for the university, and the property sale is expected to bring approximately $11.6 million in revenue to the school\u2019s general fund.<\/p>\n

Trenholm State Community College, meanwhile, received approval for an off-campus site for culinary, hospitality and health sciences programming. Construction of the site is projected to cost roughly $52 million and will be funded through the Alabama State Community College System, local and ETF funds.<\/p>\n

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The Alabama Commission on Higher Education approved budget requests for Fiscal Year 2027 alongside numerous college program proposals during its Friday meeting. Commissioners unanimously approved a roughly $2.7 billion budget recommendation for Alabama\u2019s two- and four-year public universities. 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