Shutdown Worries Prompt Emergency Meeting At MnSCU

ST. PAUL (AP) - The trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system have called an emergency meeting to consider the implications of a state government shutdown.

The trustees are scheduled to meet Wednesday morning.

Like the University of Minnesota, MnSCU depends on state support. Earlier this year, it asked for $1.26 billion from the state government over two years.

MnSCU says that it now receives less state support than it did in 2002 while experiencing a 25 percent enrollment increase.

Gov. Mark Dayton and Republicans who control the Legislature have been divided for weeks in their budget negotiations. If they fail to pass a budget by July 1, parts of the government will shut down.

Both St. Cloud State University and the St. Cloud Technical and Community College are part of the MnSCU system.