State APSCUF headquarters in Harrisburg.

July 2, 2009

BUDGET TALKS TO RESUME MONDAY

Gov. Ed Rendell is not backing away from his call for a 16-percent income tax increase after two days of wrangling with top legislators over proposed spending cuts.

On Wednesday, Pennsylvania became one of several states that lack the legal authority to pay all their bills.

A partisan stalemate over resolving a multibillion-dollar deficit is stalling approval of Pennsylvania's budget for the new fiscal year.

Some of Rendell's fellow Democrats say they won't vote for an income tax increase, and Republicans who control the Senate are dead set against it.

Rendell says there's no way to balance the budget without it.

In the meantime, the state will delay payments to vendors, although Rendell says residents will notice little difference in government operations for now.

Talks are to resume Monday.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

'BEHIND THE HEADLINES'

State APSCUF President Steve Hicks recently taped a new segment of Behind the Headlines, a television production of The Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy. You can watch the episode of the show by clicking here.  

Behind the Headlines is taped in Harrisburg and is a production of the Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy, a non-partisan, non profit public policy research organization based in Hershey. Charlie Greenawalt, Senior Fellow for the Center, Professor of Government at Millersville University, and political analyst on WHP TV in Harrisburg, is the program host.

Faculty and coaches are invited to watch current and past episodes of Behind the Headlines online at www.thevoiceofpa.net

* * * * * * * * * *

Blue Shield Claim Form, Authorization for Disclosure of Health Information Form now online!!! APSCUF members can now download the Blue Shield Claim Form directly from the APSCUF web site! To acquire a Claim Form, click here!

To download the Authorization for Disclosure of Health Information form, click here!

Save money with Nationwide General Auto Insurance! Are you interested in getting a Car Insurance quotation from Randy Engle, APSCUF's Nationwide Insurance Agent? If so, click here!

* * * * * * * * *

PROPOSED REVISION TO THE REPORT FROM THE GOVERNOR'S TASK FORCE ON CLASS SIZE IN THE STATE SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION Read the proposed revision to the report from the Governor's Task Force on Class Size in the PASSHE by clicking here.

(Note: This posting has been present for many months. It has been kept on the site for reference purposes.)

STATE APSCUF NEWSLETTERS ONLINE!

APSCUF members can read current and past editions of the APSCUF Newsletter by visiting APSCUF on the web! Simply click on the "APSCUF In Print" link on the main APSCUF page and read the print edition of your choice!  You can read the May/June, 2009 State APSCUF Newsletter by clicking here.

* * * * * * * * * *

RETIREMENT QUESTIONS? VISIT THE SERS, PSERS AND TIAA-CREF WEB SITES!

To visit the SERS web site, click here.

To visit the PSERS web site, click here.

To visit the TIAA-CREF web site, click here.

Important Retirement Information:

Are you retired or are you retiring prior to 7-1-08?

If so, click the link below!

http://www.apscuf.com/news/RETIRED-prior-7.1.08.pdf

Planning on retiring on or after 7-1-08?

If so, click the link below!

http://www.apscuf.com/news/Retire-on-or-after-7.1.08.pdf

Planning on retiring on or after 7-1-09? If so, click the link below!
http://www.apscuf.com/news/Retire-on-or-after-7.1.09.pdf

DO YOU NEED INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR STATE OR U.S. REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS? IF SO, USE THESE LINKS TO HELP!

Information about all Pennsylvania Representatives and Senators can be acquired via a web site maintained by the Commonwealth. To visit the site, click here.

Information about all United States of America Representatives can be obtained by clicking here.

Information about all United States of America Senators can be obtained by clicking here.

Finally, some higher education news briefs:

(Note: Many of the national and international higher education briefs originate with Academe Today, a service of the Chronicle of Higher Education. For further information about these briefs, email State APSCUF using the "E-mail APSCUF" link on the main web page):

* New Benefits Plan for Veterans Draws Colleges, and Critics:  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has yet to release a tally of the colleges that will participate in its new Yellow Ribbon Program, which some advocates for student veterans say will distribute aid unfairly.

* Online-Education Study Reaffirms Value of Good Teaching, Experts Say:  A recent Education Department report backs up scholars' views that effective instructional methods are what help students succeed, in any medium.

* Another Divide Between Public and Private Universities: Sunshine:  Open-records laws make it hard for public colleges to keep their doings under wraps. Some in Congress think private institutions, which receive federal benefits, should be more open, too.

* Agency to Look Again at How Colleges Pay Recruiters:  The Education Department says it is not singling out for-profit institutions as it starts developing new, and probably stricter, rules. But the changes may affect those institutions the most.

back to top of page

Don't have the free version of Adobe Reader? Click on the logo to the left to download it now.