The new chancellor of the California State University system is promising tuition won’t go up this academic year or next. But Chancellor Timothy White says Californians must understand that a CSU education costs money – and that it’s a worthy investment, both for students and the state.
White says the Cal State system has lost a billion dollars in budget cuts since the recession began – and tuition increases only offset about a third of that.
“We’re still some $650 million in the hole where we were just four or five years ago. Yet we’re teaching some 60, 70,000 more students than we were then. So we are actually a very efficient – and I know there is an expense, but it is low-cost to students, relative to the value; it is low-cost to California, relative to the value; and it’s high-quality," says White.
The chancellor says the federal “sequestration” cuts will have a significant effect on the CSU if they continue. They’ll reduce the money available for research at Cal State campuses, and the amount available for student financial aid.