As enrollment reaches record levels, Colorado's system of higher education may face a budget cut of over 30 percent, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. As Colorado anticipates a projected $625-million revenue gap, the majority of funds from the federal State Fiscal Stabilization Fund will expire this July. The fund has provided Colorado with over $622 million more than a quarter of its higher education budget since early 2009. No other state has received more than 10 percent of its higher education funding from that source, and the stimulus funds have allowed Colorado's public higher education system to remain mostly immune from the recent economic downturn, according to The Chronicle. The decrease in federal funding could force cuts that will interfere with students' ability to pay for and complete college, and cause class sizes to rise. Universities may be forced to implement tuition increases, offer fewer courses and decrease support for tutoring and financial aid counseling to address the budget gap, The Chronicle reported.
Largely due to a successful fundraising effort by alumni, parents, former players and other team supporters, the baseball program at the University of California, Berkeley will remain an intercollegiate varsity sport this season and in the near future, according to a university press release. UC Berkeley officials announced last September that the university planned to eliminate four sports baseball, men's gymnastics, women's gymnastics and women's lacrosse due to budget concerns stemming from a decline in state financial support. The baseball team's fundraising efforts have yielded approximately $9 million thus far, approximately 10 percent short of the team's initial goal of $10 million, the release said. UC Berkeley officials will announce the team's formal reinstatement once the target is reached. In February, separate fundraising efforts ensured the continued intercollegiate status of women's gymnastics and women's lacrosse. The men's gymnastics team, however, has only raised half of its $4 million goal, according to the press release.
Florida A&M University's Board of Trustees approved a new Restructuring and Reinvestment Plan proposed by university President James Ammons at a meeting last Thursday, according to a FAMU press release. The plan aims to restructure the university's academic programs to increase academic and administrative efficiency and address fiscal constraints. The plan outlines a new academic structure that the university hopes will improve retention, distance education, international studies and its Honors Institute. The plan also calls for the termination of 242 jobs, 109 of which are funded by federal stimulus money, according to the release. By introducing the T3E Transformation Through Technology Enhancements process into its business practices, FAMU will streamline administrative procedures, the press release said.
