Noting that state revenues are way down, he said that the university system had been told it must cut another $31.3 million from its budget. That’s on top of an existing $215 million shortfall… Reed further warned, though, of more cuts coming out of the special session of the Legislature called by Gov. Schwarzenegger for November.
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by Staff, The Chico News and Review.
State officials recently told the CSU system to cut $31.3 million from its budget — Fresno State’s share was $1,706,600 — because the state budget might be sliding into a new deficit due to declining state revenues. The university’s operating budget is about $250 million — $153 million coming from the state and the remainder from student fees and grants. Gov. Schwarzenegger will call lawmakers into session after the Nov. 4 election to deal with the worsening budget situation. When that happens, Fresno State and all CSU campuses could be asked to cut more, Kus said.
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by Doug Hoagland, The Fresno Bee.
Colleges and universities say they are having trouble affording basic costs, falling behind on salaries, technology and student services. At the university level, per-student funding from the state has fallen consistently. In the Cal State system, for example, the state this year is paying for 66 percent of each student’s education, perhaps its lowest share ever. Eight years ago, the state budget contributed 79.3 percent of the cost. Without public pressure, it’s unlikely the governor or the Legislature are going to change those numbers dramatically. But educators have long struggled to decide how to bring their campaign to the public.
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by Matt Krupnick, The Contra Costa Times.
Admission applications are surging for the California State University system’s fall session, climbing 21 percent over last year… "In economically down times, more people turn to going to college,” said CSU spokeswoman Claudia Keith. "When the job market gets tough, typically we see an increase in applications." CSU will need to limit enrollment to its fall 2009 classes because state budget constraints will not allow an expansion of the student body, she said. Last year CSU received almost 400,000 freshman applications and enrolled about 54,000 first-time freshmen.
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by Lisa M. Krieger, The San Jose Mercury News.
…The UC system faces a net cut of $232.4 million, assuming that the UC budget remains the same as proposed in May. Additionally, the university continues to have rising annual costs. "Because we are not receiving funding for student enrollment growth and inflation related costs, our campuses will have to reduce costs by $105 million," said UC spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez… In 1990, student fees contributed 13 percent of the university’s per-student expenditure while state funds and other sources covered the rest, according to Vazquez. In 2007-08, student fees accounted for 30 percent of the per-student expenditure, he said.
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by Asaf Shalev, The Daily Californian.
"Our whole higher education finance system," Yudof said, "is broken." But because California’s economy and general well-being depend so much on UC’s stature as a great research university, and not just as a nice place to send the kids, public support is crucial. Increasing that support in an era of tax limitations and political shortsightedness is probably the toughest task of all.
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by Peter Schrag, The Sacramento Bee.
…Taylor places the blame for the funding shortfall on the University of California Office of the President. Year after year, the office has provided inadequate funding, he said. The program is funded through a combination of student fees, state money and private philanthropy, as well as government grants for research, Taylor said. UC spokesman Ricardo Vasquez said the continued success of the pharmacy program remains a priority for the Office of the President and UCSD. "Unfortunately, California’s severe budget crisis makes it extremely difficult to remedy financial shortfalls in the short term," Vazquez said… The UC system’s only other pharmacy school, at UCSF, is also encountering budget-related accreditation issues.
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by Sherry Saavedra, The San Diego Union-Tribune.
"It impacts the neediest students," said Heidi Granger, director of financial aid for College of the Desert in Palm Desert. "Come October or November, if they don’t receive the Cal Grant, the harm will be done."
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by Janet Zimmerman, The Press-Enterprise.
Today’s financial woes have created a new crisis in student lending at a time when college costs have risen some 40 percent in the last five years. We learned last week that the California budget impasse is blocking loans for community-college students. This spring, 46 lenders stopped making federally guaranteed student loans – part of the larger credit crunch. And San Francisco-based Education Finance Partners, a company that made private student loans, closed its doors Aug. 14 after losing its long-term financing. College students report that they’re dropping out because they just can’t afford to stay in school.
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by Meredith Alexander Kunz, The San Francisco Chronicle.
Officials are estimating enrollment jumps of 6% to 15% this fall at California’s 110 two-year campuses… Although most community campuses welcome the burst of interest, they also acknowledge a strain on resources. In the short term, officials said community colleges can absorb the cost of educating more students, but by next spring or fall they will have to receive more funding or they may be forced to cut back course sections. With the governor’s proposed budget allowing for only 2% growth, many colleges are anticipating funding shortfalls.
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by Tony Barboza and Gale Holland, The Los Angeles Times.