Another thing
you can do is attend
the upcoming Fiscal Emergency Town Hall this Saturday, May 10th, from
1PM – 3PM at Marshall Middle School , 5870 E. Wardlow Rd. , Long Beach
, CA 90808 , hosted by Assembly Member Warren
Furutani. A number of
legislators will be present. The forum will look at the impact of
potential budget cuts on the state and allow for opportunities for
those attending to voice concerns about possible budget cuts, explore
alternatives and strategies to budget cuts, and connect with other
organizations against the proposed budget cuts. Please attend.
Portion of an email from F. King
Alexander, President, CSULB:
Specifically, to close a $16 billion deficit, the Governor has proposed
a 2008-09 state budget with across-the-board spending cuts. The
$386.1 million reduction proposed for the CSU comes only three years
after deep cuts of more than $500 million, from which we have not yet
recovered. Those cuts resulted in significant reductions in
student access and a dramatic increase in student fees. The new
cuts proposed by the Governor, if approved by the Legislature, will
have lasting implications for the CSU, our students, the economy, and
the future of California.
This draconian budget proposal will not only hurt CSULB and other CSU
institutions, but it will ultimately damage California's future
economic growth by failing to fund increased student collegiate access
while also limiting the availability of many courses to existing
students. Unfortunately, the irony of this budget proposal is that it
is being debated at a time when California has never needed more
college and university graduates to build a competitive
"knowledge-based" economy. In fact, according to the recent report,
Californians and Higher Education, published by the Public Policy
Institute of California, 9 out of 10 residents from all political,
regional, and demographic groups say that California’s higher education
system will be very important to the quality of life and economic
vitality of the state over the next 20 years.
Furthermore, the proposed California State Budget not only fails to
fund increased student access and opportunities, but it does not
provide additional funding for basic "externally driven" mandatory cost
increases such as health care. Also of great concern is the fact that
funding for much needed compensation increases for our committed
faculty and staff has not been included in the proposal. In aggregate,
the California State University's 23 campuses face a proposed budget
impact of $312.9 million for 2008/09. The Governor's proposed 10
percent budget cut will mean a loss of $16 million for CSULB. This is
not only a short-term issue for CSULB and other CSU institutions, but
it is a long-term issue for all Californians.
The CSU is a vital provider of graduates into the state's workforce and
the budget cuts will have an impact on key industries in California.
● CSU graduates nearly 90,000 students into the state's workforce each
year.
● CSU supplies the majority of the workforce in key industries
including nursing, teaching, agriculture, business, public
administration and technology.
● Nursing − 64%
● Business − 65%
● Agriculture − 52%
● Life sciences − 44%
● Education − 87%
● Public Administration − 82%
● Criminal Justice − 89%
● For every dollar the state invests in the CSU, $4.41 is generated in
economic activity.
As mentioned earlier, the proposed budget cuts will impact student
access to the CSU because not all qualified students will be admitted.
Although the CSU has asked for revenue to increase enrollment by 2.5
percent or 10,000 students for 2008/09, this is not included in the
proposed budget.
● That means that 10,000 qualified students will not have the
opportunity to attend a CSU because we will not be able to offer them a
slot at any CSU campus.
Another direct impact of the proposed budget cuts will be that
system-wide multiple efforts designed to increase college-going rates
of underserved communities in California will suffer drastically.
Two-thirds of the current pipeline of students in K-12 are from
underrepresented backgrounds, and it is critical to the state's future
that more students from underserved communities attend and complete
college.
● The CSU has experienced an increase in enrollment of first-time
freshmen from underserved communities over the past few years as a
result of our partnerships with K-12 and community-based organizations.
We need the support of everyone in the CSU to face down these proposed
cuts. By urging the State Legislature, we may be able to turn the tide
on the proposed budget. Please let your California State Assemblymember
and State Senator know that you support CSULB and the CSU. Your support
is vital to protecting what has made California an international
economic success story.
We hope that you will join us in voicing your concerns by visiting www.csulb.edu/ogcr , clicking on
"Advocacy @ The Beach" and then by sending your own email message or
letter by regular mail to your local legislator. Let your
representative know that the proposed 10 percent cuts will undermine
California's economy and thousands of students who excelled in school
in good faith would be denied admission if the proposed cut is not
rescinded.
The CSU simply cannot absorb the proposed budget reductions without
seriously affecting our ability to deliver our educational
mission. There is still time to stop the cuts. We ask you
to join us in sending a strong message to the Governor and the
Legislature: Because the CSU is the solution to California’s
troubled economy, we must fund the CSU budget!
Should you have questions, we welcome your call at 562-985-8816. Please
send a copy of your email to advocacy@csulb.edu or fax to 562-985-8761.
Your support is greatly appreciated by everyone in the CSULB and CSU
family.
F. King Alexander
President, California State University, Long Beach
|
