News
Corzine proposes $38 million in cuts to Rutgers
Governor Jon S. Corzine last week unveiled his proposed fiscal year 2009, $33 billion budget for the state of New Jersey that included a $2.7 billion reduction achieved through cutting thousands of jobs, entire state departments, and numerous government programs.
Rutgers stands to lose $38 million in direct operating support from the state in Corzine’s proposed budget, following a slight increase of $12 million in the 2008 budget. The previous year, Rutgers sustained an overall $66 million in cuts.
Corzine’s budget does propose a 5.2 percent increase in student financial aid, including nearly $15 million more for Tuition Aid Grants for students attending New Jersey colleges and universities. The budget preserves the Educational Opportunity Fund and a loan forgiveness program for graduating students who become mental health workers in the state.
The proposal also calls for $38.5 million to partially cover salary increases at Rutgers and other four-year public colleges and universities. “While we do not yet know the allocation of this salary money among the institutions, it will help to fund a portion of our commitment to salary increases in the coming year,” Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick said in a letter to the university community.
Corzine delivered his budget address to a sober audience at the New Jersey State House in Trenton. “It’s certainly not a budget designed to please … but it is a prudent blueprint to meet difficult economic circumstances, correct past mistakes, and lay a foundation for a responsible future.”
McCormick echoed Corzine’s sentiments. “This budget is hardly good news for Rutgers, but ... it reflects the governor’s determination to address New Jersey’s severe fiscal problems and to begin laying the foundation for long-term financial stability,” McCormick said. “Such stability is essential if the state is ever to meet its commitments to higher education.”
– Ashanti M. Alvarez