July 23, 2009
SDSU President Affirms Commitment To Imperial Valley Campus
SDSU President Stephen Weber responds to a question during a forum at the Imperial Valley CampusDespite a sagging economy, faculty cuts, an increase in tuition, and a massive budget shortfall over the next two years, top administrators at San Diego State University made it clear last night that the school 's commitment to its Imperial Valley campus will remain strong in the coming years.San Diego State University President Dr. Stephen Weber didn't mince words as he told an audience of about 60 students, faculty members, and concerned residents of the community at a forum at the Imperial Valley Campus in Calexico that SDSU will remain a leading academic institution in Imperial county.
“The Imperial Valley Campus of San Diego State has been serving the Valley for almost 50 years. We do not now, nor have we ever intended to withdraw form that commitment. There has never been a plan for San Diego State to withdraw from the valley, and never will be while I am president of SDSU,” said Weber
One big issue facing the school is the status of the Master's of Public Administration program. According to Dr. Stephen Roeder, Dean of the Imperial Valley Campus, the loss of a faculty member in May of this year caused the school to shut down new admissions to the program for the upcoming semester.
“We were not prepared to give them admission because we lacked a critical, tenure-tracked faculty member,” said Roeder. “We took the only responsible, but difficult choice of closing admissions for the fall in order to have time to rebuild the tenure-track faculty in the program.”
“Right now, the university is trying to get through a $35 million dollar budget reduction in (academic year) 09-10. That is a huge budget reduction and it comes on top of large budget reduction in 2008-2009.” - Dr. Ethan Singer, Vice President for Academic Affairs, San Diego State UniversityAs with almost every aspect of state government and public education financial issues, the California budget crisis loomed large in the discussion
“Right now, the university is trying to get through a $35 million dollar budget reduction in (academic year) 09-10 ,” said Dr. Ethan Singer, the Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs at SDSU. “That is a huge budget reduction and it comes on top of large budget reduction in 2008-2009.”
Singer said the budget reduction hit to the Imperial Valley campus was about $480,000.
Audience members urged SDSU administrators to push for more grant funding and alumni donations for the Imperial Valley Campus. Administrators say they raises about $120,000 for the campus last year. There is one full-time fund raiser for the Imperial Valley campus. The San Diego campus has about 20 full-time fund raisers. But that reflects the difference in student population at the two campuses.
Dr Roeder indicated that the full-time equivalent student count at the Imperial Valley is about 725 students. The total student count at the San Diego campus, which includes full-time and part-time students, is about 34,000 students, although Weber said the San Diego campus student population will shrink by ten per cent in the coming two years.
Weber acknowledged that SDSU is facing a hard road when it comes to budget issues, and added that a collaborative effort from students, faculty members, classified staff and administrators will be needed to help the school deal with harsh reality of a shrinking economy.
“I think there is a shared commitment, but sometimes it is not focused in constructive ways, so that it doesn't accomplish what it could and it is very important, in my judgment, that this educational enterprise succeed in the valley. When people get caught up with false ideas like we are going to close the campus, that actually compromises our ability to serve the valley,” said Weber.
To view the SDSU-Imperial Valley Campus Web site, click HERE