The attacks on Sept. 11 have taken their toll on many people and especially on our economy. CSUB can now be included in those numbers.
CSU Chancellor Charles Reed recently asked all CSU presidents to make a one percent reduction in their total current year budgets. System-wide, the one percent is nearly $25 million. In Nov., Reed also imposed a hiring freeze on all campuses.
“It is the start of hard times. These are going to be some stormy seas to get through,” according to Reed in a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article.
The budget cuts are in response to an executive order by Governor Gray Davis. Davis has said the state could face a budget deficit as high as $14 billion and has asked all state agencies to reduce their budgets.
Some campuses like San Jose State and San Francisco State, were expected to cut $1.5 million. But according to Mike Stepanovich, director of Public Relations for CSUB, the initial reductions on our campus were supposed to be around $600,000. That number was closer to $700,000.
Most campuses are planning on reducing their budgets by eliminating current staff and administrative openings. Currently, CSUB doesn’t have any of those positions to cut. The reductions will have to be made elsewhere.
“According to these mandated budget cutbacks, we have taken the following actions,” said CSUB President Tomas Arciniega. “A hiring freeze, review of base expenditures, and the development of alternative institutional options to address required budget reductions.”
According to Interim Dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering Thomas Meyer, “Some money may come from the university’s reserve fund and other money may come from cuts in allocations previously made to various divisions within the university.”
Meyer continues to say that for now he is continuing his search to fill positions within his department. The hiring freeze excluded tenure-track faculty positions, but could possibly mean reducing the number of temporary faculty and lecturers. Reed said he wants to keep the cuts as far away from the classroom as possible.
Stepanovich believes that in order to meet the required one percent reduction, some campus projects will be delayed, maintenance schedules deferred and the campus will enforce overall conservation in spending.
No one is being specific as to which projects are being delayed. When contacted, Bob Brown of Facilities Management refused to comment on subjects relating to the budget.
Runner@csubak.edu