The federal money allocated to the California State University (CSU) system will be used to add courses and sections enabling student to graduate on time. Because the university just received the $1.3 million, Cal Poly Provost Robert Koob said some of the money will be used to supplement winter courses but most of it will be used in spring. He added that the money will be used to make sections available for courses with waiting lists and for both major and general education classes.
The California State University (CSU) system received a one-time allocation of $77.5 million in federal money, according to a press release from the Chancellor’s Office released Oct. 22. The 23 CSU campuses were to receive $25 million this year; the Chancellor’s Office will withhold the rest to safeguard against future financial troubles.
The money is for courses offered in winter and spring, as well as student support services. The release noted that system wide, CSU campuses will add up to approximately 4,000 additional course sections and potentially retain up to 800 lecturers for winter and spring quarters.
Many students are understandably worried about graduating on time, according to feedback from students during ASI’s four-day budget debate last week. Koob said the money will help keep students on track.
“We’re going to try to use it for our goal of getting people to graduate,” Koob said.
He added that the average unit load increase by .35 units in fall, meaning students were able to take more classes than ever before. This is partially due to the block scheduling of freshmen.
“We want to continue the momentum we had in fall,” he said.
The CSU budget deficit for the 2009-10 year is $564 million. The system is in the process of implementing an action plan that includes employee furloughs and workforce reductions; enrollment cuts, increased student fees, and additional cost cutting measures on campuses. The guiding principles behind the plan are based on serving as many students and preserving as many jobs as possible while maintaining academic quality and fiscal balance, according to the press release.
The provost said that while the $1.3 million is certainly helping Cal Poly stay afloat, it’s just a temporary patch.