HARRISBURG -- "Completely inadequate."

That's how Penn State University President Graham Spanier characterized Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed 1.5 percent funding increase for state-related universities.

"If the appropriation doesn't even come close to the increases in the rest of the budget, and doesn't even come close to the rate of inflation, it puts a burden on the tuition side of the equation," he said.

Dr. Spanier and the heads of the other state-related universities -- the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University and Lincoln University -- testified before the House Appropriations Committee yesterday.

There is only so much the general fund budget can bear, said Chuck Ardo, Mr. Rendell's spokesman.

"The reality is we have to live within the constraints of the revenue we get, and that requires us to make difficult decisions," he said. "Health care continues to eat up more of the budget, and in corrections we are incarcerating more people. These are places where we have no options about whether to spend money."

Higher education is an area where there is more discretion, Mr. Ardo said.

Mr. Rendell proposed increasing funding to the state-related universities by 1.5 percent as part of his $27.3 billion budget proposal.

University leaders say it would take at least a 4.1 percent increase to keep up with general inflation, and even more to match increases in higher education costs, which rise at a greater rate than the general cost of living.

"It would seem the commonwealth has abandoned even an attempt at moving forward [with financing] in a way that would benefit our students and that would benefit our communities," Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg said.

Pitt's state allocation would be $170.3 million. That represents roughly 11 percent of the university's overall budget.

Dr. Nordenberg is requesting $202.8 million from the state next fiscal year. That's $15.9 million, or 8.5 percent, more than the current year's state appropriation.

Dr. Spanier wants $372.9 million for Penn State. That's $24 million, or 6.9 percent, more than the current state appropriation.

Lawmakers including state Rep. Dan Frankel, who is a Pitt trustee, want to increase the governor's recommended funding levels for state-related universities.

"You've done a lot with less and less from us. It's essentially been a divestment in our state-related institutions," Mr. Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, told university leaders. "We need to be more responsible, ultimately. Other states are [providing] five, six, seven times what we're doing in Pennsylvania. We need to change something."

The governor is willing to negotiate if lawmakers want to provide more funding, Mr. Ardo said.

The Legislature has until June 30 to pass a budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.