Spanier heads to Harrisburg to field questions on money

Penn State President Graham Spanier plans to spend today and tomorrow in Harrisburg to ask state legislators to allocate more money to the university.

Penn State's budget request calls for an increase of $21.8 million in state funding to pay for additional research, technology initiatives and the general operation of the university.

To explain the request, Spanier will answer a range of questions from a Senate committee today and a House committee tomorrow.

Penn State is receiving $299.1 million in state funding this fiscal year.

The university requested $321 million for next year, but Gov. Tom Ridge's budget proposal, released earlier this month, only allocates $306.5 million to Penn State.

State appropriations make up about one third of Penn State's budget.

-- by Daryl Lang