This report, commonly known as the Snyder Report, is produced annually for the use of the appropriations and education committees of the House and Senate; however, it should also be of interest to Pennsylvania students and parents.

This year's Snyder Report shows that Commonwealth instructional appropriations benefited nearly 230,000 public university students in 1997-98. The General Assembly directly appropriated $907 million to the State-related and State-owned universities for instruction, averaging about $4,350 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student. In addition, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency awarded grants and matching funds amounting to about $548 per FTE student at the public universities.

Compared to the previous year, FTE enrollments grew by 2 percent. Despite a decline in the number of traditional college-age persons in the Commonwealth of 14 percent over the past five years, FTE enrollments in Pennsylvania's public universities increased slightly.

During the past year the average instructional salary of the faculty at Pennsylvania's public universities--the salary directly attributable to instructional activities-- increased by about 3 percent to $50,000. The average total workweek of the full-time faculty remained the same at about fifty-four hours per week. Average faculty contact hours with students also remained unchanged at about ten hours per week.

Student revenues for the 1997-98 school year amounted to about 59 percent of the total instructional revenues in these universities. Over the past five years, the portion of instructional costs borne directly by students increased, while the portion borne by Commonwealth appropriations decreased.