Wednesday, August 15, 2012

California Continues Slow Motion Suicide

Facing uncertain budget prospects, California State University officials announced plans to freeze enrollment next spring at most campuses and to wait-list all applicants the following fall pending the outcome of a proposed tax initiative on the November ballot.

The university is moving to reduce enrollment to deal with $750 million in funding cuts already made in the 2011-12 fiscal year and position itself for at least an additional $200-million cut next year if the tax proposal fails.

The move is a high-stakes gambit that could deny tens of thousands of students access to the state's largest public university system; it also pressures voters to support the tax increase. That proposal, backed by Gov. Jerry Brown, is intended to avoid so-called trigger cuts that will dramatically affect the state's public colleges and universities.
As a graduate of the Cal State system, I can only shake my head at the situation.  In the Cal State system, administrator recently grew to outnumber the instructional staff.  That would be good place to start some fiscal discipline.
Out-of-state students, who represent only about 3% to 4% of the system's total, will probably not be affected because their higher tuition covers the cost of instruction, officials said.
Maybe if illegal undocumented dreamy aliens paid out-of-state tuition, they could support the rest.  More likely, they would not see the return on the investment.

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