A Penn State, our first priority is you, the students. Currently, more than 77,000 of you are enrolled at Penn State, and all of us connected with the University are working hard to make sure that you receive the highest quality education possible.

We think we do a pretty good job of attaining that goal, and we mean it when we say that Penn State is one of the nation's leading universities as well as one of the best values in higher education for the citizens of Pennsylvania.

We're not alone in saying this, either. For instance:

-- In 1996, U.S. News & World Report named Penn State a "best value" institution -- the only Pennsylvania college or university among the top "best values" nationwide.

U.S. News also ranked Penn State among the top ten most efficient universities in the nation institutions that "get the most out of their educational expenditures."

-- Money Guide, from the editors of Money magazine, surveyed the undergraduate honors programs at public universities and included Penn State among "the best in the nation."

-- And just recently, Kiplinger's rated Penn State a four-star value. Of the 51 state universities reviewed, Penn State was tied with the University of Virginia for the highest SAT score average, while having the highest undergraduate enrollment of all the universities listed -- a clear reflection of Penn State's commitment to quality and success.

We do all this, and more, with a level of state support that may surprise you.

Penn State is one of four "state-related" universities in Pennsylvania, and Penn State alone has been designated by the state government as the Commonwealth's "land-grant" institution. This designation means that the state has pledged to support Penn State and that Penn State has pledged to make high-quality education available to Pennsylvanians at a cost that most Pennsylvania families can afford.

The sad reality is that less than 17 percent of Penn State's total operating budget and 34 percent of its general educational funds come from the state -- a level of support that for the last 10 years has been essentially flat (or declining in real terms, once you factor in inflation).

Penn State receives less state support per student than any other university in the Big 10. It also receives less support per student than any other public university in the Commonwealth.

Penn State is and has been extremely successful in obtaining an increasing share of support from other sources, including the federal government, foundations, alumni and other friends of Penn State. But when it comes to actually delivering education in the classrooms, there are only two main sources of funds: tuition revenues and the state allocation.

Nobody wants to see tuition go up, but as the level of state support has declined over the years, Penn State has had virtually no choice but to raise tuition.

If you create a line graph that plots the level of state support vs. the level of tuition, the two lines form a big "X."

In 1976-77, the state appropriation accounted for 54 percent of Penn State's general funds budget, and tuition accounted for 38 percent. But now, in 1996-97, the numbers are reversed.

For the 1997-98 budget year, we have asked the state for an appropriation of $305.2 million, an amount that includes only the most basic elements we need to sustain ourselves and to enhance learning opportunities. Our highest priority is funding for 50 new faculty positions, which will enable us to improve the quality of educational programs and to bring down class sizes.

Our other priorities include a special allocation for libraries and information technology, to put into your hands the kinds of state-of-the-art equipment that are essential in a rapidly changing information age. And of course, we want to keep any tuition increases as low as possible. If the state supports our request, we will be able to keep the tuition rate increase at the projected level of inflation, which is 2.9 percent.

During April and May, teams of students, faculty, alumni, community leaders and staff from our 20 campus Legislative Advocacy networks will be personally visiting with members of the state General Assembly in their local districts.

The focus of these meetings will be familiarizing the legislators with our financial needs and the local, regional and commonwealth-wide benefits of the public's investment in the University's academic programs, agricultural research and extension and technology partnerships with business and industry.

I share this information with you because you have a stake in the outcome of the state's budget and because you have a voice that must be heard in Harrisburg.

I urge you to contact your state legislators now and tell them how important it is to you that they personally support Penn State's appropriations request.

Your voice coupled with University President Graham Spanier's Appropriation Hearings presentations and the conversations of the advocates with individual state legislators will add synergy to the University's communication efforts.

The Commonwealth Relations Office, located in 117 Old Main (865-5431), is here to help you do this. If you don't know who your legislator is, give us your nine-digit zip code or the name of your hometown, and we will give you the names and addresses of your state representatives in the General Assembly. If you need help crafting your message, we can also help you do that.

The most important thing is that you exercise your right to be heard. Hearing from the folks back home is something that the legislators welcome, appreciate and understand.