SF State News {University Communications}

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Student fees increased 20 percent for Fall 2009

Note: the following e-mail was sent to students July 29.

 

Dear Students:

There is no way to soften this message: The California fiscal crisis has taken a devastating toll on public higher education. While the governor and legislature have yet to pass a budget for the coming year, the best estimate is that the California State University system will face a $584 million cut.  

The CSU Board of Trustees has worked to close that gap through a variety of measures that include a hiring freeze, freeze on salaries and travel restrictions. At yesterday's meeting of the Board of Trustees, two other measures were approved, both of which will have an impact on you and your studies.

Student Fees
The board voted to raise fees, effective with the fall 2009 semester, by another 20 percent.  This is in addition to fee increases approved in May, which resulted in a 10 percent increase for most students.

For SF State students, 2009-2010 semester fees will be:


Undergraduate:

$2,370/full-time; $1,524 part-time

Credential students:

$2,694 full-time; $1,713 part-time

MBA/MSBA:

$4,038 full-time; $2,497 part-time; plus $210 per semester unit professional fee

Ed.D. in Education Leadership:

$4,695 full-time

All other graduate and 2nd baccalaureate:

$2,838 full-time; $1,797 part-time

Non-resident:

$372 per semester unit


In keeping with CSU policy, one-third of the fee increase will be set aside for financial aid, and the approximately 7,800 SF State students who receive State University Grants will receive an increase in those awards. The specific terms of Cal Grant funding will be determined when the state budget is passed.  Please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid Web site at www.sfsu.edu/~finaid for updates.  You may also contact financial aid counselors by phone, e-mail (finaid@sfsu.edu) or in person at the One Stop which is open during summer from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays; from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Workforce Reductions
The additional student fees increase will help to close about $157 million of the $584 million budget gap, but it is not enough.  The CSU is also seeking to make reductions in its payroll totaling $273 million. The CSU has proposed furloughs for all employees of two days a month, and discussions with bargaining units are underway. CSU executives, management and non-represented employees will begin furloughs of two days per month, beginning August 1. Employees are not paid for furlough days, and are not allowed to work on furlough days. Each campus can develop its own plan for scheduling furloughs, and SF State's plan will aim to minimize the impact on the academic schedule as much as possible.

Class Schedule
With these measures in place, the CSU system will still be $183 million short of what is needed to offer full services and a full schedule for all of its students. The CSU Chancellor has instructed each campus to develop a plan to handle the remaining gap.  At SF State, that results in an additional $11.9 million we must cut from our expenses, on top of the fee increases and salary reductions outlined above.  All campus services and functions will be affected in some way; the area most noticeable to students will be in the course schedule.

Deans and department chairs have been working throughout the summer to prioritize which courses will be taught this fall, with the aim of serving the greatest number of students and helping seniors to graduate. This has been an extremely difficult task. We will be offering 428 fewer course sections than last fall--a total of 3,075 sections. The spring schedule will be as reduced, if not worse.

The fall class schedule will be posted online on July 24. Some new procedures are in place to help ensure eligible students can register for the classes they need. These include a new, earlier deadline for dropping classes, a limit on the number of units undergraduates may add during final priority registration, and limits on repeating courses.  For details and updates, visit the Registrar's Office Web site at http://www.sfsu.edu/~admisrec/reg/reg.html  

Even with these new procedures, it is highly likely that you will encounter difficulties finding all of the courses that you need. We urge you to take full advantage of the advising and mentoring opportunities available to you as you construct your best possible schedule. Some colleges are offering special advising sessions—please check with the Dean's Office in your college.

I know that what I have shared with you is distressing. I hope that these compromises and sacrifices will be in place for only one year, and that California will both rebound economically and once again live up to the promise that the state has made to its residents: to provide high-quality public higher education to all who qualify. While there is no doubt that quantity--of classes and of students admitted--will diminish this year, please know that your deans, faculty and staff have done their best to ensure the quality and value of your educational experience remains excellent.

-- Robert A. Corrigan, president

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