California State University funding cuts threaten state's economic future
We both grew up in the Central Valley, currently raise our respective families in Fresno and serve as members of the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees. We joined the board because we care about students who aspire to better their lives through education, and who care about our hometown and our state.
It is no secret that Fresno State has long been — and continues to be — a beacon of hope for residents in the Valley, with 58% of students coming from Fresno County and 81% from the broader region, including Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties.
This school year, 5,991 students graduated from California State University, Fresno. More than just a number, these graduates represent a wave of possibility: they are first-generation college students, children of farmworkers, future nurses, teachers and engineers. They are the hope and promise of the Central Valley made real.
It is because of those 5,991 graduates — and the nearly 125,000 across all CSU campuses this year — that we know we cannot afford to cut funding to the CSU, as is currently being proposed in the governor's budget.
To the contrary, we must invest in the CSU and institutions like CSU Fresno that provide life-changing opportunities for hundreds of thousands of students and community revitalization in regions that desperately need it, like the Central Valley.
Investing in the CSU isn't just the right thing to do, it's one of the smartest economic decisions California can make: A 2021 economic impact study found that every $1 invested in the CSU generates nearly $7 in return to the state's economy. At a time when California faces big choices, protecting the CSU means betting on a stronger, more equitable economic future.
The CSU is one of California's most powerful engines of social mobility and workforce development, opening doors to better jobs, higher earnings and more opportunities to achieve a better quality of life. It educates nearly half a million students annually, many of them the first in their families to attend college.
California State University graduates go on to become leaders in key industries like healthcare, education, technology and public service. One in 10 workers in the state of California earned their degree from one of our 23 CSU campuses.
Most recently, 15 of the 23 CSU campuses were named as Opportunity Colleges & Universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (where Diego works). Additionally, CSU campuses accounted for nine of the top 10 spots on the College Futures Foundation Mobility Index and 16 of the top 50 spots on Third Way's Economic Mobility Index.
Prior to the governor's May Revise, the CSU was facing a staggering 8% cut. The governor decreased that cut to a proposed 3% in the revision — an encouraging sign and acknowledgment that the CSU plays an essential role in driving California's economic vitality. But a 3% cut still amounts to a $143.8 million annual reduction, which is significant. This cut would also have long-term consequences.
Cuts today don't just hurt students; they shrink the state's future talent pool, slow regional economic growth, and undermine long-term competitiveness.
The cuts will lead to larger class sizes, fewer course offerings and reduced student support services, threatening student success and timely graduation rates, especially for our first-generation and low-income students. Faculty, staff and management positions are also at risk of being eliminated. Behind these layoffs are professors, teaching assistants, mental health counselors and other important individuals who students have come to know and trust for support.
If we care about students, economic mobility, workforce readiness and the vibrancy of each region of our state, we must protect the CSU.
Diego Arambula is vice chair of the board of trustees at the California State University and currently serves as vice president for Educational Transformation at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Yammilette 'Yami' Rodriguez is a member of the board of trustees at the California State University and works at the Youth Leadership Institute.
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