Summer Budget Decisions
Note: the following e-mail was sent on 5/7/09 to all faculty and staff.
Dear Colleagues,
As everyone knows, we go into the summer facing a great deal of fiscal uncertainty. The results of the May 19th ballot initiatives, the revised state revenue projections to be announced in June, and the likelihood of renewed clashes over state budget allocations in Sacramento present enormous challenges for our 2009-2010 fiscal planning. We can surely anticipate turbulence ahead and we must remain responsive to any change in our budget allocation as it materializes in order to minimize their impact.
As a result, we should all anticipate that important decisions will be made during the summer months that could have an impact on our campus community and our academic program. If the interests of the entire campus are to be considered, it is essential that those decisions benefit from informed dialogue among faculty, staff, administration, and students. These circumstances highlight the importance of our shared governance processes, and our individual responsibility to remain connected to department, college, and university dialogue during the summer months.
The Academic Senate and University Administration plan to work closely together during the summer months to do our best to facilitate the kind of dialogue that will allow us to move quickly and flexibly as situations demand, while being responsive to the points of view of the faculty and the broader campus community. At the same time, Departments and Colleges might be required to make budgetary decisions that will profit from the insights of faculty and staff. To be successful, we will need your commitment to stay connected, informed and engaged.
We are hopeful that the California Legislature will see the wisdom of protecting the CSU from further budget cuts, but we want to be prepared to contribute to the decision making process should that fail to be the case. We will keep you informed throughout the summer through email and web updates. We ask that you make sure that your college and department have accurate summer contact information for you and please plan to check your campus email account regularly.
Sincerely,
John M. Gemello, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Shawn Whalen, Chair, Academic Senate
For related budget news, visit http://www.sfsu.edu/~news/2009/summer/15.html
