CT State Colleges and Universities chief out after spending scandal

The embattled leader of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system will be removed from his position beginning July 1, according to a release from CSCU.
CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng, whose lavish spending, out-of-state home and high salary have drawn scrutiny, will transition to a new role as strategic advisor to the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education, according to the statement attributed to the board.
The statement says that Cheng's contract, which is scheduled to end June 30, 2026, will not be renewed.
'I thank Chancellor Cheng for his hard work, partnership, and dedication to the system,' said Marty Guay, chair of the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education. 'The future is bright for CSCU as we look to set a new direction for the system.
'We have a real opportunity to make impactful investments in our system in the best interests of the students we serve and the state as a whole. We will continue to create more opportunities and access for students, boost graduation rates, and strengthen our talent pipelines to ensure they are aligned with industry needs and meet workforce demands. These efforts will ensure our students are set up for success in their careers and beyond,' Guay said in the statement.
CSCU, which includes both Connecticut's 12 community colleges and its four state universities, saw an increase in enrollment under Cheng, who assumed the role in July of 2021: 4.4% for fall 2024 and a 6.2% increase for spring 2025, according to CSCU. Cheng oversaw the consolidation of the previously independent community colleges into a single multi-campus institution and oversaw efforts to ease enrollment access for transfer students and Connecticut high school students.
During his tenure, CSCU also created partnerships with key industries and community organizations to benefit workforce development and opened multiple new health care and manufacturing sites across the state.
'It has been a true honor to serve as Chancellor of the CSCU system and its 65,000 students. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done to eliminate barriers to higher education, and increase educational access, equity, and opportunity for students, particularly for first-generation and minoritized students. Together, we have opened new doors for students and changed the trajectory of their lives,' Cheng said. 'I remain deeply committed to this work and will continue to work with the Board of Regents and build on the success of the CSCU system.'
The news follows sharp criticism from elected officials and calls for his firing from Republicans after he was shown to have abused a state credit card.
An audit by the state comptroller, requested by Gov. Ned Lamont, of expenses and credit card use by leadership at Connecticut State Colleges and Universities revealed a 'systemic problem,' the state's comptroller said, citing misspending of thousands of dollars on food, entertainment and transportation by nearly all the campus presidents.
The audit was prompted by a December 2024 CT Insider report on Cheng's spending that found records of expensive meals including $60 steaks, $490 chauffeured rides and more. Cheng was also given more than $21,000 to relocate from New York to Connecticut but reportedly never made the move.
When the spending report was released, Republican leaders called for Cheng's immediate termination.
Republican minority leaders Sen. Stephen Harding and Rep. Vincent J. Candelora said 'Make no mistake—this is a black eye for the State of Connecticut. While we appreciate Comptroller Scanlon's proposals to address spending abuses and procedural failures within the CSCU system, restoring public trust demands bold and decisive action.
That begins with terminating the employment of CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng. His continued leadership over a system in clear disarray undermines efforts to restore stability and confidence among students, parents, staff, and taxpayers alike.'
On Monday, Candelora with Rep. Seth Bronko, House ranking member of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, called for stronger oversight.
'Given the well-deserved controversy over Terrence Cheng's flagrant — if not infamous — spending abuses, and the systemwide revolt by staff against his leadership, his departure as chancellor is long overdue. Public trust has been shattered, and a change was needed so the system can begin to rebuild. Unfortunately, students, parents, and taxpayers won't be able to move on so easily, as Mr. Cheng will remain on the payroll as a 'strategic advisor' for the final year of his contract. Going forward, the Board of Regents must ensure that contracts for this position prioritize the interests of the state — and that far stronger oversight is finally put in place.'
Republicans Sen. Henri Martin, Sen. Rob Sampson and Harding said it was not enough to remove Cheng from his position and continue paying him through 2026.
'So, he still will have a $442,187 a year state-taxpayer funded job, just with a different job title? Do we have that correct? Unbelievable. Chancellor Cheng should have resigned long ago. Republicans demanded that he do so. Gov. Lamont should have demanded that resignation.
'Instead, Gov. Lamont shrugged. … Instead, Gov. Lamont has kept Chancellor Cheng on the state payroll making nearly half a million dollars. In doing so, Gov. Lamont continues to minimize the culture of ethical lapses, scandals and mismanagement in his administration as mere 'small ball,'' they said in a statement.
When brought before legislators at the state Capitol, Cheng apologized and later moved to change system spending policies.
'I acknowledge that my actions have raised serious concerns about financial oversight and transparency,' Cheng told lawmakers at a special forum to review the spending. 'For this, I take personal responsibility, and I am extremely, extremely sorry. I also want to apologize to members of the General Assembly, who have consistently supported our system and our students. … For my part in this, I do sincerely apologize. … I recognize that trust is not just given. It has to be earned through action, and it cannot be earned simply through words.'
Democratic Reps. Derek Slapp and Gregg Haddad noted the system's importance in the state.
'We understand and appreciate the Board of Regents' decision,' Slapp and Haddad said. 'As they look for a new leader, we believe strongly that it is important to prioritize student outcomes, meet the needs of a rapidly changing workforce, and act as good stewards of state resources. The system needs stability and the stakes are high. Higher Education is the largest economic engine in Connecticut, so our economy and future of many students will be impacted by whoever the Board chooses as the next leader.'
Cheng was appointed as chancellor by the Board of Regents in May 2021. He had previously served as campus director of the University of Connecticut Stamford, a role to which he was appointed in 2016. He also served as a member of the English department faculty there.
He is also the author of two Chinese historical novels, Sons of Heaven (2002) and Deep in the Mountains (2007).
Plans to replace Cheng have not been announced.
Courant reporter Christopher Keating contributed to this report.

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• Axios

MAGA courts the next generation of conservatives

Amid rising loneliness, economic anxiety and frustrations with the left, a growing share of Gen Z-ers are turning right. The big picture: The next generation of conservatives are in small towns and big cities, on college campuses and TikTok — and they're minting a new youth culture. "It's part of this shift among Gen Z post-Covid," says Rachel Janfaza, a youth political analyst."They got really tired of being told what they could or could not do and what they could or could not say." Stunning stat: Nowhere in the world are young men as lonely in comparison to other people in their country as they are in the U.S., per a recent Gallup poll. One in four U.S. men ages 15 to 34 said they felt lonely a lot of the previous day — a higher proportion than young American women (18%) and young men in other wealthy democracies. Economic anxiety is rampant. "More people who are Gen Zers, more men, than we might appreciate … aspire to a life that is not dissimilar, necessarily, from their parents and their grandparents in terms of the basic opportunity to meet someone, to fall in love, to create a life, have a family, have a home," says Harvard pollster John Della Volpe. "Each one of those things I just mentioned is probably more challenging today." In the middle of the chaos, many young men are courted by the right and feel alienated by the left. For a generation worried that typical milestones — like getting a job, finding a partner and buying a house — are out of reach, President Trump's campaign resonated. "I do think that what Republicans managed to communicate is, 'We like men, and we like the things men like,' whether that's UFC or whatever. And sometimes in politics, making people feel like you like them is kind of important," says Richard Reeves of the American Institute for Boys and Men. "Democrats didn't do any of those things. They didn't say 'we like you, we like the things you like.' In fact, sometimes there's even tendencies to say, 'We don't like the things you like, and we're not sure we like you.'" Case in point: Aidan Thompson, a 21-year-old undergraduate at Kansas, says he feels Democrats' message is that "the things that make men who they are are inherently evil" But Trump "seems like he's a billionaire that's just an American, like, he goes to UFC, he eats McDonald's, he watches wrestling and NASCAR, he knows tons of stuff about baseball," Thompson said. "He gets shot, and he immediately gets up and he holds up his fist like 'you can't kill me.' That's just so freaking awesome." Zoom out: Although there are more men than women in the conservative youth movement, plenty of young women are part of it too. By the numbers: 41% of 18- to 29-year-old women voted for President Trump in 2024, compared with 33% in 2020, per Tufts' Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. The intrigue: Many young men and women share similar frustrations with the Democratic Party — including gripes with political correctness and a sense that the left looks down on traditional gender roles. "The left has become the party of hall monitors, telling me no and giving me lectures," says Raquel Debono, an influencer and founder of "Make America Hot Again," a community of young conservatives in New York City. "There are a lot more conservative men than women. But people have neglected to mention that we've seen the counterculture rise from the feminist wave," she says. "Women want to feel like women again." Zoom in: This month, Turning Point USA's Young Women's Leadership Summit brought together thousands of conservative women in their teens and twenties. A common theme among speakers and attendees was that women should forego higher education and focus on becoming homemakers and mothers, The Cut's E.J. Dickson reports. "Feminism told women to chase their corporate dreams for their validation while their kids were eating seed oils and their marriages were collapsing," Alex Clark, a conservative influencer and one of the speakers at the event, said on stage. "Well, we're done pretending that a cubicle is more empowering than a countertop." Reality check: This brand of conservatism isn't the only option, Debono says. "What I don't like about the messaging on the right is that so much of the right has convinced young women that they have to give all of these things up to be a conservative woman," she says. Debono says she looks to working moms in Trump's administration, like press secretary Karoline Leavitt, as evidence that the "trad wife" model isn't the only way to be a woman on the right.