Help Save Rutgers' State Funding

April 18, 2006

Rutgers Faculty, Staff, and Students:

As never before, we need everyone in the Rutgers community to be heard as we advocate for increased state funding for higher education.

The state budget for the coming year, as currently proposed, would result in an unprecedented $114 million budget shortfall for Rutgers. Such a drastic cut would force the university to face some extremely painful choices, including elimination of faculty and staff positions, cancellation of hundreds of classes, reduction of vital services, and a large tuition increase.

I want to thank all those who have already taken action, including the students who are organizing a rally in Trenton on April 27. The students who are participating in the rally realize the need to speak up for their concerns, and I support their efforts. Such initiative and leadership is further reason to take immense pride in our students and to advocate for a strong, well-supported state university.

The state budget is still under consideration in the New Jersey Legislature and must be finalized by the end of June. Now is the time to contact your state legislators and respectfully make the case for funding Rutgers at a level that maintains the university's high quality and accessibility. The most effective way to do that is by meeting with or calling your legislator. If that is not possible, you can send an email or write a letter. Please also consider letters to the editors of New Jersey's major newspapers as part of your advocacy.

Please see http://www.rutgers.edu/FY2007budget for detailed information on the proposed budget's harmful impact and for help with contacting your legislators.

While you should personalize your message as much as possible, we encourage you to focus on these important points:

1. Rutgers recognizes that New Jersey's significant budget deficit must be addressed and wants to work with the governor and legislature to meet this challenge, but higher education is being asked to bear more than its share of the reductions.

2. Rutgers cannot absorb the proposed $114 million budget shortfall without resorting to many painful choices, including layoffs, cancelled classes, and increased tuition. This will hurt our students, the majority of whom rely on financial aid and hold jobs to cover their expenses.

3. Rutgers is looking very carefully to reduce its own costs, but the university already runs a lean and efficient administration compared with its peer institutions.

4. Higher education is more than an expense—it is a serious investment in the state's future. Rutgers trains the sophisticated, technology-literate workforce crucial to New Jersey's economy, and Rutgers research and outreach activities drive economic growth.

To be frank, this budget will challenge Rutgers even if a substantial portion of the cut is restored. While no decisions have been made, we are studying a number of funding scenarios, and it appears that layoffs will have to be part of Rutgers' response. This reality only underscores the urgency of our advocacy. Just as we must work together to keep tuition increases within reason, we must do all we can to encourage funding restoration so that the harm to our programs and our community is kept to a minimum.

Richard L. McCormick
President
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey