Dear University Community:
I’m proud of our achievements in recent years. Our national recognition and prestige have increased; we are, still, number one in the nation for the upward mobility of our students. In order to continue our success, we’ve proposed a new admission plan. The new plan would not be effective until the fall of 2020.
This plan is needed because of an unprecedented surge in our enrollment. Our enrollment has increased by about 25 percent since 2012, but our enrollment funding has only increased by about 2.4 percent. We have approximately 28,000 individual students, approximately 5,400 more than our state funding currently covers. Adequate funding would require more than $30 million of additional recurring state funding every year.
We are grateful for our faculty and staff’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to our students. Throughout these years of growth, our faculty and staff have done whatever it takes to provide the superior educational experience that has made Cal State LA a first choice for thousands of first-time freshmen and transfer students.
The imbalance between our enrollment funding, and our actual student population, is now unsustainable. As enrollment grew, we heard your concerns and addressed them. We’ve hired 179 tenure-track faculty, expanded class offerings, used classroom space more efficiently, and added advisers and counselors. We’ve increased parking capacity by adding shuttle service, an off-site parking lot and valet service; and we’re building a new parking structure. We’re also constructing new student housing, and we’ve expanded our food options with food trucks, food carts, and Everytable. Even so, we’ve now reached a critical point.
As part of our longstanding partnership with area community colleges, we have been working with their leadership to ensure that we continue to provide opportunities for transfer students. Under the proposed plan, students who are not admitted as first-time freshmen can enroll in our partner community colleges. We look forward to welcoming them as transfer students.
Our proposed plan is not a retraction from our historical mission and role in our community. Our new plan will allow us the flexibility to make decisions in the best interest of our students, faculty, and staff. We remain committed to our community, to the ideals that have guided this university and made it an invaluable asset to our city and our region.
Sincerely,
Bill
02/18/19