E-mail Notice
The notice below was originally shared with the university community via e-mail.
Budget Update
March 5, 2007
Dear HSU Community Member:
As you are aware, Humboldt State University is undergoing a significant
budget reduction and reallocation process. As part of a comprehensive
plan to balance the general budget and achieve financial stability, the
University has taken a very close look at its finances. The University
Budget Committee (UBC) is working hard on recommendations that will lead
toward decisions for the FY 2007-2008 budget which will be announced at
the beginning of April. Please refer to the following web site for
documentation about the budget and for more information on the budget
process http://www.humboldt.edu/~budget/Pages/general.htm.
An education at Humboldt State University is inherently expensive because
of our mix of high-cost academic majors. We are unlike any other CSU in
our mix of course offerings, and the state no longer recognizes or funds
unique or high-cost programs. In addition, many other costs have soared
rapidly with increases in insurance rates, salaries and benefits,
information technology, utilities and other areas that have outpaced our
existing fees and the state's budget allocation. Lastly, HSU has missed
its enrollment targets in recent years, further limiting state funding.
As part of the process we have undertaken, we invited two past CSU
presidents to serve as budget consultants. Both the consultants and the
UBC have recommended that the University should consider increasing
student fees. The potential for increasing fees also was addressed at
the recent UBC meeting where the vice presidents and I presented our
budget plans.
It has become apparent that the University does need to consider
increasing student fees. A review of other CSU campuses indicates that
we are out-of-line with some of our sister campuses by not charging
students more to cover increasing costs of delivering excellent academic
and athletic programs. A fact sheet explaining the proposed increase to
$250 per semester for the Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) fee is
posted at the above-mentioned web site.
This fee increase, along with budget reductions and reallocations, is
designed to eliminate the need for additional cuts in subsequent years so
that HSU can begin to look at strategic new investments, as opposed to
simply struggling to make ends meet. The intent is to put the University
in a position to pursue more aggressively the goals set forth in the
strategic plan.
In weighing the fee proposal, we are mindful of the financial burden that
it may place on many of our students. However, HSU remains, by almost any
measure, a "best buy" in higher education. We are making every effort to
control the rise in fees, but we must not sacrifice the basic components
of quality that make an HSU education extraordinary.
While much attention on campus is currently focused on overcoming the
persistent operational budget deficit, there are many signs pointing to a
strong future. Applications and enrollment are both up, alumni
contributions are rising markedly, endowment assets are more than $20
million (versus $13 million in 2005), new construction and campus
modernization efforts are proceeding apace, and faculty are attracting
increasingly sizable and prestigious grants and awards while also
sharpening HSU's hallmark teaching and learning experience.
As the 2007-2008 budget evaluation proceeds, I continue to welcome your
input as we reach consensus on what is best for the long-term interests
of this cherished institution as it approaches its centennial milestone.
Sincerely,
Rollin C. Richmond
President