The leader of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, the state’s largest public college system, told faculty and staff Wednesday that an $8.2 million funding cut in the adopted state budget means “fiscal challenges” for the system’s 17 institutions.
Gregory W. Gray, president of the system that includes the state’s community colleges and four regional state universities, wrote that the budget challenges “will require our collective focus and commitment to address. For example, it requires us to defer action on a number of key initiatives.”
He added that the system will “maintain a tight control of staffing” and that other cuts will have to be made.
“It also supports our decision to undertake a systematic review of the CSCU structure and operations, which I believe will result in the identification of greater efficiencies across the system,” he wrote.
The $8.2 million cut leaves the system with a nearly $22 million budget deficit. It could have been worse.
The final budget actually restored just over half of a nearly $22 million cut proposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Leaders of the CSCU system last month released plans on how they would close their deficit if the governor’s funding recommendation were adopted. They already have raised tuition by 4.8 percent for the next school year.
Read Gray’s full letter here.