The California State University system has 23 campuses and 450,000 students and these days it's suffering from deep budget reductions from the state of more than half a billion dollars this fiscal year.
The budget reduction at each campus is based on several factors, including enrollment and the proportion of students on financial aid. However, the system reduced enrollment by 4,000 students in the fall and expects to cut 40,000 more in the next two years.
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, budget cuts at various campuses include:
- Cal State Stanislaus is canceling its winter term and next year will have a two-semester schedule. It cut 50 part-time faculty and 192 course offerings this fall and several hundred more classes may be cut in the spring.
- At Dominguez Hills, the student newspaper closed and administrators may eliminate some academic programs such as music, art and Chicano studies.
- Programs at Cal Poly Pomona such as philosophy and history are threatened. The school's well-regarded engineering and architecture programs are not in jeopardy.
- Humboldt State closed its Natural History Museum which attracted thousands of visitors every year.
The cuts may have a long-term effect. Hans Johnson an associate director at the Public Policy Institute of California told the Los Angeles Times that California already faces a skills gap, with demand for educated workers outstripping supply. He said that Cal State's cuts will only exacerbate the problem.
The Institute says that Cal State produces 60% of bachelor's degrees.
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