Message to the Campus from President Alexander Gonzalez (2/1/10)
To All Members of the Sacramento State Community:
The beginning of the new semester has been a very busy time for us at Sacramento State. In my Spring Address on Jan. 21, I updated the campus community on the challenges we will be facing with the next state budget. Last week, I was in Long Beach at the CSU Board of Trustees meeting, and I want to share some news from there, as well.
First, the budget. I want to caution you that it’s still very early in the state budget process, and Governor Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal is just that – a proposal.
Nevertheless, there appears to be a renewed focus on higher education in the State Capitol, and I applaud our students, faculty, staff and supporters who have worked to help us send that message to our elected leaders. That message remains of vital importance, as I will explain below.
Key points of the governor’s 2010-11 proposal include restoring $305 million in one-time cuts to the CSU and adding $60.6 million for enrollment growth, which is contingent on federal funds.
I know there are bound to be questions about what all of this means to us here on campus, but right now we don’t know a whole lot. That’s why I am inviting the campus community to a Town Hall meeting Feb. 9 at noon in the Music Recital Hall in Capistrano Hall. Please note the new location, which we arranged in order to accommodate more people.
I will be there, along with members of the University Budget Advisory Committee (UBAC) and key vice presidents, and we will present any additional information we have. You also will be able to ask questions of us.
Before the governor’s proposal, the Chancellor’s Office asked all 23 campuses to conduct a planning exercise that would provide information on how we would deal with the same level of state funding from last year. For us that number is an 18 percent reduction in our budget. We are viewing this as the worst-case scenario.
Along with all of you, I am hoping for positive budget news in the weeks and months to come – and that our campus situation will improve and never come to that scenario.
We have already begun working with UBAC so we can be prepared for whatever level of reduction from the state occurs. The amount of that reduction will determine what we have to do to balance the campus budget.
This brings up an important point about this year’s budget. The message I heard at the Trustees meeting is that it gives us a good starting point. But the gravity of the state’s deficit presents many hurdles to it passing in its current form. We expect a budget season that will be long and filled with contingency.
As such, it is important that we focus on sending the message to our elected leaders that CSU funding must be preserved if we are to continue supporting the future of California.
Also in Long Beach, CSU officials announced an initiative to boost graduation rates across all 23 campuses. As a system, we want to increase the six-year graduation rate by 8 percent by 2016. At the same time, we will cut in half the gap in degree attainment by underrepresented students.
This will affect all of us directly. I convened a group late last semester to work on our campus plan to meet this initiative. It includes the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, the Strategic Planning Council, UBAC and my cabinet.
The broad perspectives and expertise of those who are serving on this group have already helped us generate a lot of good ideas. I expect that we will develop a number of changes that will enhance the way we serve students, and this initiative stands to benefit our students for years to come.
You can expect to see these updates from me any time there is more information on the budget or other important campus issues. I also thank you for all of the hard work you have done under the trying circumstance of the past year, and I again invite you to our Town Hall meeting in Capistrano Hall next week.
Sincerely,
Alexander Gonzalez
President