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Chancellor Gable briefs trustees on state appropriations, federal research cuts and a regional tuition pledge
Summary
Chancellor Gable updated the board on state budget activity including House Bill 2400 (noting $30 million for performance‑based funding), the White House FY27 budget proposal for cuts to research, a $5 million five‑year city investment, and the launch of a Pitt Regional Campus Tuition Pledge for eligible Pennsylvania residents beginning fall 2026.
Chancellor Gable told the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees that state and federal budget developments and recent campus partnerships are shaping the university’s near‑term priorities.
On state funding, Gable said the Pennsylvania House passed House Bill 2400, which contains Governor Shapiro’s FY27 proposal and includes a $30 million line for performance‑based funding; she said the administration will keep the board updated on legislative progress. On federal funding, she reported the White House’s fiscal year 2027 proposal would cut scientific research and educational programs compared with FY26 and said the university will advocate for continued research and education support.
Gable noted recent campus visits by NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Deputy Secretary Lynette Koon as opportunities to highlight Pitt research strengths, including vision science, advanced rehabilitation and bench‑to‑bedside oncology at Hillman Cancer Center, and commercialization successes such as Avista Therapeutics’ partnership with Roche.
At the city level, she announced a $5 million, five‑year set of investments to support neighborhood parks, the Main and Main business corridor program, and public safety—work she described as part of long‑standing collaboration between Pitt and Pittsburgh. She also announced the Pitt Regional Campus Tuition Pledge: a tuition‑free program for eligible Pennsylvania residents at the Bradford, Greensburg and Johnstown regional campuses beginning fall 2026 for students whose household adjusted gross income is $75,000 or less.
Gable also provided an update on collective bargaining: staff negotiations with the United Steelworkers are ongoing, with tentative agreements reached on 17 provisions and approximately 16 still under negotiation; graduate student and faculty negotiations have similarly reached tentative agreement on multiple provisions and continue. She said detailed updates and schedules for future bargaining sessions are available on unionization web pages listed in the materials.
Trustees asked a follow‑up question about incoming freshman numbers and were told the university had nearly 5,800 first‑time full‑time students last year but plans to scale to about 5,000 this year as part of enrollment curation tied to the Plan for Pitt.
