After completing a whirlwind town-hall tour of all 17 campuses in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, Mark Ojakian, the system’s president, was greeted by unwelcoming faculty in Hartford Thursday when he returned to meet with his governing board.
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CSCU regents adopt tuition hikes, consolidation framework
Updated at 8:13 p.m.
The Board of Regents for Higher Education adopted tuition increases that will eliminate more than half the $35-million budget deficit the state’s largest public college system is facing in the next fiscal year. The board also adopted the framework of a plan to dramatically consolidate the administrative and operational structures of many of the system’s colleges.
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Tuition hikes blunt CSCU budget gap
The president of the state’s largest public college system said tuition increases spread over the next two years are necessary to help close a budget gap of at least $70 million over that time while still giving students the ability to handle and plan for future costs.
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Salaries, fringe benefits driving tuition hikes at CT public colleges
Top financial officials from Connecticut’s two major public college systems told legislators Friday that rising fringe benefit costs and mandated employee salary increases are key driving forces behind tuition hikes.
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College leaders warn proposed cuts would have big consequences
The president of the state’s largest public college system offered a particularly dismal outlook, warning the cuts could lead his system to declare its equivalent of bankruptcy.
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For third straight year, state college system freezes hiring
Connecticut State Colleges & Universities President Mark Ojakian is issuing an immediate hiring freeze for the system’s 17 schools and its central office, a spokeswoman said. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed budget would cut the state’s block grant to the college system by $25 million.
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Ojakian, saying CSCU needs stability, wants to stay at the helm
“You can’t have a president every one or two years and expect that you’re actually going to provide the best service to students and to our state,” President Mark Ojakian said during a recent wide-ranging interview in his Hartford office. “You just can’t do that.”
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What cuts loom at your community college or regional university?
“This is a very challenging budget that we are looking at,” said Mark Ojakian, the president of the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system. “Times of crisis are a time of opportunity. We are going to have to do business differently. We are not going to be able to sustain even this level of funding in the future. It’s going to be tough.”
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Eliminating college program approval regs is the right choice for CT
If you owned your own restaurant and wanted to create some new signature meals to attract new patrons and increase your competitiveness, how would you feel if you had to wait for state government officials to review your suggested dishes, taste those recipes and approve their preparation before you could offer them to customers? To make matters worse, what if that process could take a year or more and, meanwhile, up the street and in surrounding towns, other restaurants were not restricted from changing up their menus as and when they saw fit? For many of Connecticut’s private non-profit universities and colleges, this hypothetical example of unnecessary government oversight is analogous to a program-development challenge we are facing.
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Board of Regents gives final okay to tuition hikes
The Board of Regents for Higher Education approved 3.5 to 5 percent tuition hikes for the 17 schools in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system with only one dissenting vote.
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Ojakian on tuition hikes –What a difference a day makes
March 22, former Chief of Staff to Gov. Dannel Malloy and current Board of Regents President Mark E. Ojakian stated, “I have consistently said I am not going balance the state’s financial burden on the back of our students.” March 23, he is asking for a painful 5 percent increase in tuition costs for the 88,000 students in two and four year programs at State Universities and Community Colleges.
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Tuition hike pitched for public college system
It’s almost certain to become more expensive to attend the Connecticut State Universities and community colleges. Board of Regents President Mark Ojakian on Wednesday recommended state residents pay $480 more to attend the four regional state universities — a 5 percent increase — and $347 more to enroll in community colleges.
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Session Notes: State college system freezes hiring
The president of the state’s largest public college system announced a hiring freeze Tuesday to cope with mid-year budget cuts to the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system as the state closes its budget shortfalls.
Posted inEducation, Money, Politics
Legislature considers furloughs; judiciary cancels raises
Underscoring the fiscal crisis facing Connecticut, the General Assembly is considering furloughs of legislative staff, a rollback of staff raises, and a rare rejection of a negotiated contract. Meanwhile, the Judicial Branch has canceled raises for non-union employees that were to take effect Friday.
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As professor racks up convictions, CSCU unable to consider them in employment decisions
What’s a college president to do with a professor who keeps getting arrested in his spare time? And if a professor is disciplined in connection with his job, should students and the public be able to find out? At the regional Connecticut State Universities, the answers to those questions will soon be sorted out.