|
A Summary of the May 17-18, 2004 Board of Trustees Meeting Contact: Clara Potes-Fellow, cpotes-fellow@calstate.edu, 562-951-4800 Board Approves Student Fee Increases CSU Trustees approved a resolution to increase state university fees by $288 or 14 percent for undergraduates, $450 or 20 percent for qualified credential program participants, and $564 or 25 percent for other post-baccalaureate and graduate students. The Board also agreed to increase the nonresident tuition fee by 20 percent or $57 per unit at semester campuses and $38 per unit at quarter campuses. The fee increases are in response to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s reductions in the 2004-05 state budget. The budget plan calls for a $240 million General Fund reduction to the CSU. To mitigate the reduction, the governor proposed that the CSU implement student fee increases that would raise $101.5 million in new revenue. The increase will bring the annual undergraduate state resident fee to $2,334, the credential program student fee to $2,706, the graduate student fee to $2,820, and the undergraduate out-of-state student fee to $10,170. Students also currently pay an annual campus fee that averages $526. The present CSU fee policy requires that one-third of the increase in state university fees be applied to financial aid. However, in an effort to mitigate the state budget reductions, the Governor has reduced the set aside to one-fifth of the new fee revenues. Once the fee increase is applied, the State University Grant program (SUG) will have an additional $15 million to fund 10,000 new grant awards with an average adjustment of $25 less per grant. The fee increase would become effective in fall 2004. This would be the third fee increase to CSU students within the last three years. During the same period the CSU has lost more than one-half billion dollars in state revenue, which represents a 21.6 percent net reduction to the CSU budget. If the fee increase is implemented as proposed, the CSU fees will continue to be less than the average fee of the CSU comparison higher education institutions. In 2003-04 the average fee for the 15 institutions was $5,272. For more details, see Fee Increase Release. New Policy for Upper-Division Transfer Students Trustees heard proposals for a new policy covering upper-division students transferring into the CSU. The goal is increase efficiency by identifying a clear path to the bachelor’s degree for all community college transfer students. This would protect them against losing time and academic credit by ensuring that they can choose to take only those community colleges courses that bring them closer to university graduation in their chosen major. As proposed, the policy would be voluntary for the students. They can choose whether or not to complete this particular transfer path. If they do, they will earn priority admission. The minimum number of units to transfer to the CSU will be 60, with a maximum of 70 units. Following a core transfer pattern, students will complete the CSU General Education-Breadth requirements; U.S. history, constitution and American ideals class requirements; and any lower division major preparation courses. Students who successfully complete the core pattern will receive the highest admission priority among community college students. The new policy will be presented for action by the trustees at the July meeting. If approved, the policy will become effective beginning with students seeking admission in fall 2006. Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Practices Trustees approved a proposal to update the CSU policy on energy conservation, sustainable building practices and physical plant management. The updated policy focuses on defining sustainable design features and incorporating sustainable building practices into the planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance of CSU buildings. The updated sustainability policy received substantial support from students, the CSU Academic Senate, and sustainability specialists from other colleges. In anticipation of the Board meeting, student sent nearly 1,500 letters to the Chancellor’s Office expressing support for the updated policy. Eric Roper, a student leader at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo told the trustees that students see it as a “cutting-edge” sustainability policy. The current policy was revised in 2001 to establish a goal of 15 percent reduction in energy consumption by 2004/2005 as compared to that of 1990/2000. The CSU system is on track toward exceeding that goal by 3 percent. To date the policy on energy efficiency has helped to save on energy bills. The incorporation of sustainable practices promotes constructing cost-effective buildings with minimum impact to the environment. As part of the revised policy, site and design considerations would optimize local geographic features, keep proximity to public transportation and maximize use of vistas, microclimates, winds, water and other natural resources. Construction materials would be of reduced environmental impact. And, buildings would use environmentally preferable products, such us recycled and recyclable materials. Review of Upcoming Budget CSU Trustees were presented with an overview of the current state of CSU’s 2004/2005 budget, with a look at legislative budget committee actions, the fiscal outlook for the state, and specific recommendations for the CSU included in the Governor’s revision of his January budget. The Trustees Also Approved:
The Trustees Also Heard:
|
|||
