Board Votes to Freeze Management Salaries, Continue Current Tuition Levels
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The Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) voted today to impose a second one-year freeze on the salaries of management and non-union unclassified staff for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2011, and go on record as intending to maintain current tuition levels without an increase for the academic year that begins next fall at Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Connecticut State Universities.
It would be the first time in more than a decade - since the 1999-2000 academic year - that tuition would not be increased at the start of an academic year. There are more than 36,000 students attending the four universities. (Student Accident and Sickness Insurance fees, which are not set by the universities, were excluded in the Board action).
“It is important that CSUS maintain the accessibility and affordability of its universities to the greatest extent possible, recognizing that our students and potential students are among those that are most affected by the prolonged economic downturn,” said Angelo Messina, Chairman of the CSUS Finance and Administration Committee, which made the recommendation to the full Board.
According to the resolution adopted during the meeting held Thursday at Eastern Connecticut State University, the Board “may need to reexamine” plans based on action taken by the Governor and the General Assembly on the state budget next year. The state’s share of the CSUS budget has dropped to just under 40 percent, compared with 48 percent a decade ago.
Salary Freeze Approved for Next Fiscal Year
The salary freeze on non-union personnel is believed to be the first for any Connecticut government agency for FY2012. Employees at all four universities and the System Office subject to the freeze include the chancellor, university presidents and vice presidents, deans of students, police chiefs, human resources administrators, confidential administrative assistants and system-level management and confidential staff.The freeze was first proposed in July by CSUS Board Chairman Karl J. Krapek and Chancellor David G. Carter. Carter, with the concurrence of the four university presidents, had recommended that the CSUS budget for the next fiscal year (FY2012) not include funds for salary adjustments for management and non-union staff. It would be the second year-long freeze in the past three years.
A series of fiscal actions by CSUS - including a 10 percent reduction in management staff and other staff reductions (including a 32% reduction in staffing at the System Office), an initial year-long salary freeze, and unpaid furlough days - has resulted in cost avoidance and cost savings totaling in excess of $43 million over the past three years. In addition, CSUS absorbed a reduction of $15 million - money pulled back by the state to help balance the state budget.
Additional savings are being developed for the coming year, as CSUS must absorb one-time costs including a 27th payroll and rising costs in areas including energy. CSUS is also obligated to pay
contractual increases due all union employees at CSUS in FY2012, consistent with statewide union agreements and the concession agreement negotiated by Gov. Rell.
Messina pointed out that “even if state funding were to remain the same, in order to keep tuition at current levels the universities will need to make substantial reductions.”
CSUS is Connecticut’s largest university system. Nearly nine in ten graduates stay in the state after graduation, and 93 percent of students are from Connecticut.
The number of Connecticut students transferring to the CSUS universities has increased by 33 percent during the past decade, and the universities granted a record-setting 7,005 academic degrees and certificates in 2010.
Currently, the cost of attendance is among the lowest compared with public universities in the Northeast, and the lowest when compared with 11 competitor universities in the region that CSUS students had considered attending.
In the current academic year, tuition and mandatory fees for in-state, commuting undergraduate students average $8,043. For in-state students living on campus, tuition and mandatory fees average $17,997. The figures vary slightly among the universities. All would remain unchanged if current tuition levels are continued next year.
“Our students are priority number one, and we are committed to ensuring that they receive the great education and great value that they deserve,” said Krapek. “We recognize the economic challenges facing many of our students and their families, and will remain steadfast in our commitment to providing affordable, accessible, high quality education. With this resolution, the Board’s intent is clear – to keep tuition at current levels.”
