CSUS Committee Recommends Lowest Tuition Increase Since 2000
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The Finance and Administration Committee of the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) voted today to recommend a 2.5% increase in tuition and fees at Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Connecticut State Universities for next year, which would be the smallest one-year increase since 2000.
The recommendation will be considered by the full Board next Thursday (April 7) when the Trustees meet at Southern Connecticut State University. If approved, average tuition and fees would increase by $198 for in-state undergraduate commuter students and $446 for in-state undergraduate students who live on campus, from current levels.
"Proposing the lowest tuition increase in more than a decade underscores our recognition of the financial pressures facing our students and their families"The recommendation follows decisions by the Board of Trustees for the University of Connecticut earlier this month to increase tuition for UConn students by 2.5% next year, and the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut Community Colleges last year to increase tuition at Connecticut’s 12 community colleges by 2.5% next year and 2.3% the following year.
Richard J. Balducci,
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
Although final action on next year’s state budget has yet to be taken by the state legislature, the budget now being considered at the State Capitol would reduce CSUS current services request by approximately $22 million in each of the next two years. Last fall, the Board said it hoped to maintain tuition and fees at current levels for the upcoming year, but would reexamine the matter based on actions taken by the administration and legislature.
“In the spirit of the notion of shared sacrifice, we recognize that cost savings must continue to be achieved, and those steps are being taken. In fact, nearly two-thirds of the proposed state cutbacks would be absorbed by cost reductions across the system. Proposing the lowest tuition increase in more than a decade also underscores our recognition of the financial pressures facing our students and their families, as well as the imperative to preserve the caliber of education we provide,” said Richard J. Balducci, vice chairman of the CSUS Board of Trustees.
It is estimated that a 2.5% increase would bring an additional $7.8 million to the universities, helping to mitigate the impact of proposed state reductions. The remaining budget gap of an estimated $14 million would be absorbed across the system with additional cuts currently being developed.
In recent years, CSUS has instituted cost savings and cost avoidance measures that have totaled $48.9 million. In the coming year, in addition to the cutbacks proposed in the state budget, CSUS must also absorb one-time costs including a once-every decade 27th payroll, an additional day of operation due to leap year, and rising costs in areas such as energy. CSUS is also obligated to pay contractual increases due union employees in FY2012, consistent with statewide union agreements.
While this would be the smallest increase since 2000, CSUS tuition and fee increases have been below the national average in 10 of the past 13 years. A year ago, tuition and fees increased 6.3% for in-state undergraduate commuters and 5.6% for in-state undergraduate students living on campus. Currently, the cost of tuition and fees falls about midway compared with public universities in the Northeast, and is the lowest when compared with 11 competitor universities in the region which CSUS students had considered attending.
Management Salary Freeze
The Board previously acted to impose a salary freeze for all management personnel for FY2012, which begins July 1. That action was announced last September in anticipation of the state’s ongoing fiscal situation and to help respond to anticipated state cuts. Employees subject to the planned salary freeze include university presidents and vice presidents, deans of students, police chiefs, human resources, confidential administrative assistants and system-level management and confidential staff.Academic Programs, Student Services Are Top Priority
93% of CSUS students come from Connecticut, and 86% remain in the state after graduation. The student-faculty ratio at the universities is approximately 16:1. Officials stressed that every effort will be made to maintain current levels, but as reductions grow, it becomes more difficult not to adversely impact the academic experience of students.CSUS Acting Chancellor Louise H. Feroe has said that CSUS “will continue to place the highest priority on keeping our universities within reach of Connecticut students,” committing to reduce non-instructional costs across the system at a greater rate than any reductions in instructional costs, and continuing to implement cost efficiencies “that do not impact instruction but will either save money, help students, or both.”
Currently, more than 75% of undergraduate classes at Central, Eastern, Southern and Western have less than 30 students, and more than 98% have less than 50 students. Earlier this month, it was reported that U.S. Department of Education data indicates that CSUS has the highest percentage of faculty among full-time staff compared with similar institutions in the Northeast. In addition, the only full-time staff categories across CSUS to see increases in the number of personnel over the past four years have been faculty and student support professionals. Other staff areas have been reduced, by between 3 and 14%.
CSUS is Connecticut’s largest university system, with 36,600 students – the highest level in two decades. The universities granted a record-setting 7,005 academic degrees and certificates in 2010. Even before the proposed reductions, the state’s share of CSUS revenues has dropped from 48% a decade ago to just under 40% in the current year.
