Group seeks support for education funding

SHARON, Pa. -- A grass-roots movement launched by the Penn State Alumni Association to bolster support for increased state funding for higher education will hold a public meeting at noon Thursday in Penn State Shenango's Sharon Hall at 147 Shenango Ave.
The Penn State Grassroots Network is holding a series of town meetings in western Pennsylvania to enlist public support.
Penn State, Pennsylvania's only land-grant institution, has seen nearly $50 million in state budget cuts and rescissions over the last three years. The 2003-04 state budget resulted in a $14.7 million cut to the university from last year's initial funding level.
The Grassroots Network said a recent study showed that average in-state tuition at Pennsylvania's public schools ranked as the second-highest in the nation and Penn State ranks dead last in "per-student" support from the Legislature.
The network will hold a reception at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Irvin Kochel Building at Penn State Behrend in Erie.