Aaron Berkowitz – General Assignment Reporter
Southern Connecticut State University is no stranger to making changes when it comes to making sure its students have what they need to be successful, said President Papazian after the Transform CSCU 2020 Town Hall Meeting.
“This change really came to pass from inside the system,” said Papazian. “It really emerged following the state’s billion plus dollar investment into UCONN. President Gray came on and was hired to become President of the system. The Governor’s office and others were interested to see what plans he had the remaining Connecticut state schools.”
President of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, Gregory Gray said $125 million has already been distributed to SCSU and is but a “down payment” on what the school actually needs.
Gray said the Board of Regents has five ultimate goals for Transform 2020 and they are: to have a successful pilot year, increase the student success rate, reach and maintain affordability/sustainability, equity, Innovation and economic growth.
Michael Shea, English Department Chair, said the plan that was shared and makes up Transform 2020 raised some concerns among staff, but is an effort to provide students with the best cost efficient education as possible.
Dr. Michael Gargano, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, requested that the staff for the four state universities write up an academic imperative for what needs to be added into the plan for Transform CSCU, according to Shea.
“The good news about that document is that it was requested by the people who are putting Transform 2020 together,” said Shea. “The imperative aren’t concerns we have about the plan, but rather suggestions on what needs to be added in order to make the plan more effective.”
ConnSCU president, Gregory Gray said the initiative is to improve the overall student experience #transformcscu2020 pic.twitter.com/cmBnWsYJOu
— Southern News (@Southern_News) September 29, 2014
Papazian said the 2 percent tuition increase is smaller than the increases than what other universities’ students are seeing and is a result of the increase in the cost of living.
Shea said tuition increases are the opposite of what the university wants to do for its students.
“We are a school of access,” said Shea. “Students that come here are often getting their education because schools like Southern exist, yet we are charging more money than they actually afford. What we basically need to do is provide students with a $60,000 education that only costs them $5,000-6,000. That means that the state has to give more money so you don’t have to give as much as a student.”
Shea said she thinks the upward administrators at all of the universities as well as the Board of Regents need to visit legislatures and say “We need to provide these students with a high quality education so they can do upward mobility, but to do that we need to quit raising tuition and raise the subsidies that come from the state.”
“If you want taxes to pay for the things that cost money and the costs go up then the taxes need to go up too,” said Shea. “Taxes aren’t being raised because that’s politically unpopular. The people who have the most money are keeping more of their money and they’re asking more of the students.”
Papazian said a portion of the $125 million that Southern was given from the legislature was used to hire five new advisors on campus to address needs in nursing, business, sophomore in transition programs, financial literacy, and for transfer students.
“The advisors are a part of a strategy that we feel will improve the quality of education the students are receiving. The Board of Regents is very committed to tending to the issue of accessibility and affordability for student. In order to keep tuition at a 2 percent increase, which is below the increase in our costs, there had to be additional money given to us through the legislature.”
Papazian said any change the university makes is with the best interest of students at heart and she encourages all students to voice their opinions on what the school needs at the forums the school holds every so often.
“Everything we do is to better the student experience,” said Papazian. “The additions to staff, the money we have received, and the plans we are implementing. Everything comes full circle.”
Photo Credit: Aaron Berkowitz
