Today the Board of Regents approved CSN’s 2010-2011 budget reduction plan. If you missed last week’s town hall, the plan is available on CSN’s Budget Issues Web site, located on our home page.
I want thank all of our faculty, staff and students who have labored these past few months to create this plan. It was not an easy or enjoyable task. But it was one that needed to be tackled comprehensively to reflect our unique constituents.
I ask for your patience and continued collaboration as we implement this plan. Students have been called upon once again to take the brunt of these cuts. It will be harder for them to get the classes they need. There will be longer lines for student support services, such as tutoring and advising.
Our first priority has been to protect the classroom experience. Our second has been to protect jobs. That said, this is not the time to breath a sigh of relief.
We expect another mid-biennium budget cut and we will keep our collaborative budget reduction processes in place. We are also gearing up for the 2011 legislative session, at which time the state is expected to face a deficit roughly half the size of the general fund budget.
Today’s vote was significant in that it allows us to get to the business of educating students and doing what we do best, providing opportunities and changing lives. Nevertheless, I will continue to keep you as informed as possible on the topic of higher educating funding and hope that you will stay informed and engaged as we will need your support and advocacy efforts continuously throughout the next 12 months.