Weathering the Economic Storm

As we proceed into 2012, there are some cautiously hopeful signs regarding the economy. The state of California, however, is still struggling with a large deficit, which deeply affects all aspects of public education. In January, Governor Jerry Brown presented his preliminary budget to for the next academic year of 2012/2013. His release of the budget proposal is only the start of the budget process, and it will still be months before a final budget is approved. Additionally, some allocations are based upon voter approval of several revenue measures on the November ballot.

Given the uncertainty of next year’s budget, SDSU will continue to take a conservative approach to budgeting. In concert with revenue enhancement, SDSU’s conservative management of its budget has helped us weather the storms of reduced public support for higher education. Last year, SDSU lost a total of $50.8 million in state funding.  Governor Brown’s proposed budget for 2012/2013 does not return this support and state appropriations now account for less than 20 percent of SDSU’s total budget overall. The CSU Board of Trustees approved a tuition increase of $498 per year that will be effective for the fall of 2012. The university is also taking a number of important steps to enhance our financial stability.

First, to advocate against further reductions, we have created the Aztec Action Network (http://capwiz.com/sdsu/home/). With connections to more than 120,000 alumni and supporters of San Diego State University, the network is a grass-roots effort to help members of our community convey their support of the university to elected officials. Alumni are invited and encouraged to join other supporters in the network and voice your concerns to our legislators.

Second, we continue to pursue all possible cost reductions and efficiencies. Thanks to the efforts of our faculty and staff, we are already an incredibly efficient university.

Third, SDSU is pursuing initiatives to increase revenue.  The Campaign for SDSU - an effort led by The Campanile Foundation – recently surpassed $300 million in private gifts and pledges to benefit SDSU students, faculty and programs.  Through efforts like this, SDSU continues to accomplish its core mission of teaching, research and service.

To stay on top of SDSU’s budget, visit http://advancement.sdsu.edu/budgetcentral/index.html.