Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $286 billion spending plan proposes allocating $21.8 billion for higher education, including the University of California, Cal State University and California Community Colleges.
The CSU, composed of 23 campuses, and the 10-campus UC systems would both get five years of 5% annual funding increases under Newsom’s proposed budget, which the governor introduced this week, on the condition they make attending more affordable, close equity gaps, improve time-to-degree completion, increase California resident undergraduate enrollment and better prepare students for the workforce.
Both Cal State and UC schools would also agree to increase the number of students in high demand demand careers like STEM, early education and social work by 25% by the 2026-27 school year, the budget proposal said.
For the CSU, the new budget would allocate $304.1 million in ongoing funding.
“Governor Newsom’s long-term and sustainable funding proposal is a bold step that would allow the California State University to appropriately plan to welcome additional talented and diverse students,” CSU Chancellor Joseph Castro said in a statement and ensure their achievement throughout the course of their college careers.”
For the 2022-23 school year, the state budget would grow the CSU’s general fund by 7.2%, including $211.1 million to support of the Board of Trustees’ operating budget priorities, including things like employee pay, the school’s goal to increase graduation rates by 2025 and efforts to bridge the digital divide some students face, a CSU statement said.
It would also give $81 million to increase enrollment in the 2022-23 academic year and $12 million to increase support for students who are foster youth. The funds would be recurring, the CSU said.
The budget proposal also includes funds for development and repair, including a $100 million for deferred maintenance and energy efficiency projects, which had been delayed to save costs.
The budget would also include $83 million to support the CSU Bakersfield Energy Innovation Center and $50 million to support equipment and facilities at the university farms located at the Chico, Fresno, Pomona and San Luis Obispo campuses.
“During these challenging times, this support will provide resources that further faculty engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning,” said Robert Keith Collins, chair of the CSU’s Academic Senate, “which will translate into the curricula students and graduates need to meet their own unique academic and workforce career goals and enable their social mobility.”