The Chancellor’s Office announced that the California State University (CSU) system will receive a one-time allocation of federal money totaling $77.5 million, according to a press release that came out Friday. The release said that a total of $25 million will be distributed to the CSU campuses.
Cal Poly’s Vice President for Administration and Finance Larry Kelley said that Cal Poly will receive $1.3 million from the allocation.
The chancellor recommended that the money should be spent on providing additional courses in the winter and spring quarters. Cal Poly will be taking that recommendation, added Kelley.
As of now, there is no plan in place to determine how the money will be distributed within the university, Kelley said.
“The provost is working with deans to determine how to best allocate the money based on student demand for sections and courses that reduce time to degree (completion),” Kelley said.
Money would most likely go to maintaining classes that would allow students to graduate on time, Kelley said. Cal Poly administrators want to graduate students more quickly in order to save the university money.
A Cal Poly representative said that Plan A Student Schedule (PASS) would not show the additional classes because the classes have yet to be determined. It is unknown when the classes will be finalized. PASS opens today.
Erik Fallis, a representative of the chancellor’s office, said that the money was distributed to the different campuses in the same proportion that money had been cut due to the deficit.
The money that is not distributed initially will be withheld by the Chancellor’s Office to safeguard against future financial troubles.
“The CSU will reserve the remainder of the funds against what continues to be uncertainty about the state’s fiscal condition,” Fallis said. “The use of the remaining funds will be determined using the same criteria to serve as many students as possible and preserving as many jobs as possible while maintaining academic quality and fiscal balance.”
Fallis said that the chancellor is not considering extending furloughs to next year.
“Ultimately, any budget decision by the CSU will depend in large part on the level of state funding support for the university,” Fallis said.
The CSU budget problems are due in part to the the California budget crisis.
“We do not have a reliable partner anymore in Sacramento,” said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed in a video taped interview with California State Student Association President Steve Dixon.
The chancellor said that he had no plans for a mid-year fee increase in the same interview but did not mention if a tuition increase would be considered for next year. How the budget will be resolved is still in the planning stages and is unclear.
“During the October meeting, the CSU Board of Trustees was presented with a budget framework that would begin to fund a critical recovery of quality and access to the university,” Fallis said. “The CSU Board of Trustees will act on the proposed budget request during the November meeting.”
Tim Miller contributed to this report.