Apr 24
jonpeltoBoard of Regents, Higher Education, Malloy, State Legislature Board of Regents, Higher Education, Malloy, State Legislature
AKA: The ongoing saga known as the Connecticut Board of Regents
Earlier this month, at the request of Governor Malloy’s Chief of Staff, the Chairman of the Board of Regents informed that Board that it would be sending the Governor the names of the three finalists. In that way, the Governor and not the Board would be selecting the next president of the Board of Regents.
Wait, What? readers may recall the two posts entitled “News Flash: What the Hell is going on…Malloy snubs nose at Connecticut law” and “Whoa there…Let’s try telling the truth…”
As the CTMirror reported at the time, the Chairman of the Board of Regent explained that the Board forwarded three names for Governor Malloy to pick from following “a request from the governor’s chief of staff to do so.” The news story quoted Board of Regents Chairman Lewis Robinson as saying, “Which ever one he chooses, we have a fine leader…I think all three are outstanding. I am excited.”
All this despite the fact that the letter and spirit of the law was stunningly clear. The Board of Regents was to conduct interviews, select a candidate and the Governor would technically make the appointment. In that way, the selection process would be done at arm’s-length from the politics of the Capitol.
But alas, despite that clear intent of the law, Governor Malloy and his staff couldn’t help themselves. They wanted to determine which of the three finalists were most likely to recognize their supreme authority.
In response to all of this, the Connecticut General Assembly acted with amazing courage and speed and actually fast-tracked legislation “clarifying” the law by taking away Governor Malloy’s authority to even make the appointment. The new bill put the duty to appoint in the hands of the Board of Regents, tracking the approach that exists with the University of Connecticut’s Board of Trustees.
When the dust settled, there was no bill signing on this one. No smiling faces crowded around the Governor waiting for their copy of the pen that signed the legislation into law.
Instead, as the Hartford Courant noted in their story, “According to a statement from the governor’s office, Malloy ‘signed legislation he proposed in collaboration with state lawmakers’ and said ‘the change will help the next leader institute a long-term vision that increases stability and academic growth for the students at the state’s colleges and universities.’”
Malloy’s statement went on to read, “’I want to thank the members of the House and the Senate, including the chairs of the Higher Education Committee, for working with my administration on introducing this bill and acting quickly on its passage,’ Malloy said, according to the statement.”
So there you go — it turns out that it was all one big misunderstanding and Governor Malloy was actually the one who wanted the new law that made it clear that it was the Board’s responsibility and not his to make the appointment of the next president of the CSU and Community Colleges system.
Thank goodness that was clarified before the governor was forced to personally choose the next president.
You can read more about this story in the follow CTMirror article: http://ctmirror.org/story/19758/after-controversies-general-assembly-votes-remove-governors-authority-naming-college-pre
Apr 23
jonpeltoBoard of Regents, Eastern Connecticut State University, Elsa Nunez, Ethics, Higher Education Board of Regents, Eastern Connecticut State University, Elsa Nunez
When Governor Rell nominated World Wrestling CEO Linda McMahon for a position on the State Board of Education, McMahon claimed that she had a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Thanks to some investigative work, I learned that the degree was really in French.
More recently, Wait, What? readers will recall that an aide to Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch listed himself on a national website that he served as Bridgeport’s Deputy Mayor for Education despite the fact that Bridgeport didn’t have a position of Deputy Mayor and the young staff person wasn’t actually even at the director level of anything.
In this Internet age, padding one’s resume has become increasingly difficult since the truth is only a search or two away.
That said, “Resume Enhancement” remains a part of our world.
The tactic is especially condemned in the world of colleges, universities and academia, which makes the following story all the more strange.
Connecticut State Register and Manual, often called “The Connecticut Blue Book,” has been the official record of Connecticut government since 1785.
The State Register and Manual lists the President of EASTERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY as Elsa Nuñez, Ph.D.
Meanwhile, the Connecticut Campus Compact (CTCC) is an organization that was established in 1998 and is made up of twenty-eight Connecticut colleges and universities. Its goal is to help colleges develop more effective community partnerships. The CTCC is governed by a Board of Directors, which lists Elsa Nuñez, Ph.D., as its Vice Chair.
Elsa Nunez, Ph.D. also serves on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Association of Human Services, a one hundred-year-old organization that promotes economic security strategies for low-income families.
And Eastern Connecticut State University’s Canadian Studies Program lists Elsa Nunez, Ph.D. as the President of Eastern.
Elsa Nunez, Ph.D. is also quoted by numerous media outlets such as the Manchester Journal Inquirer newspaper and the CT Latino News.
The only problem is, Elsa Nuñez doesn’t have a Ph.D.
Elsa Nunez doesn’t have a Ph.D. but she did receive an Ed.D. (A Doctor of Education) from the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in 1979.
At the time, Rutgers’ granted an Ed.D. from the School of Education in a variety of concentrations including; “(1) Creative Arts Education, (2)Elementary/Early Childhood Education, (3) English-Language Arts Education, (4) Language Education (with emphasis in BilingualBicultural, English as a Second Language, Foreign Language and Linguistics Education), (5) Mathematics Education, (6) Science Education, (7) Social Education.
Let’s be clear. There is absolutely nothing wrong with an Ed.D. but as academics will tell you, an Ed.D. is a very different degree than a Ph.D.
The Ph.D. is an academic doctoral degree and is specifically called a “doctor of philosophy.”
An Ed.D. is traditionally a professional or vocational degree for people who work in the field of Education.
As New York University notes in their Graduate School of Education catalog, “The Ph.D. program is a research degree designed for students who aspire to conduct research throughout their careers in roles such as faculty members, researchers, government employees, policy scholars, or institutional researchers…”
NYU goes on to say, “In contrast, the Ed.D. program is designed to meet the increasing need for visionary and entrepreneurial leaders in community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, corporate-sponsored education, and governmental agencies.”
Or as Wikipedia explains, “In the United States, the Ph.D. degree is the highest academic degree awarded by universities…” Whereas, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D) is a degree that has a more “professional” focus. Wikipedia goes on to explain. “From the very beginning there was a formal division between the Ed.D. and the Ph.D. in education, and the growing popularity of the applied doctorates was met by faculty in the arts and sciences questioning their legitimacy. They argued that practical and vocational aims were inappropriate for doctoral study, which they contended should be focused on producing scholarly research and college professors…The Ed.D. and the colleges of education that granted them continued to face criticism…”
While the issue may seem rather archaic to some, rest assured that at universities around the nation, the debate remains heated. Many academics are particularly sensitive about whether the letters Ph.D. or Ed.D. are listed after their names.
In Nunez’s case, rather than explain that she has an Ed.D. from Rutgers with a concentration in “Language Education (with emphasis in BilingualBicultural, English as a Second Language, Foreign Language and Linguistics Education),” President Nunez’ simply states that she has a “Doctorate in linguistics from Rutgers.”
And that is how Nunez’ bio reads today – “A Doctorate in linguistics from Rutgers.”
It would be fair to say that such a claim is one of those statements that isn’t quite true, but then again, it isn’t quite a lie either.
What is true is that Nunez collects $299,460 a year, plus benefits, as the President of Eastern and now gets an extra $48,000 as a result of the extra administrative duties she provides for the Board of Regents. Her pay raise was caught up in last year’s illegal bonuses that the previous President of the Board of Regents doled out. Those bonuses or pay increase were then revoked but later re-instated for Nunez and one of the Community College Presidents who was also given “extra administrative duties.”
In the world of politics, there is little awareness of the difference between Ph.Ds and Ed.Ds, but that is hardly the case in the world of academics.
And it is for that reason that it is rather odd for Elsa Nunez to approach this controversial issue in the way that she has.
Apr 05
jonpeltoBoard of Regents, Higher Education, Malloy, UConn Board of Regents, Malloy, UConn
The CTMirror has a “must read” follow up story about Governor Malloy’s “request” to interview and select a finalist for the position of President of the Connecticut Board of Regents.
In the article, the CTMirror reports that, “The governor’s spokesman, Andrew Doba, said the interviews aren’t unusual. He noted that the University of Connecticut trustees in late 2010 allowed then-Governor-elect Malloy to interview finalists for the president’s post that went to Susan Herbst.”
File that one under somewhere between “misleading spin” and “out-right lie.”
In fact, in 2010, Governor Rell and Governor-elect Malloy met with Susan Herbst, as did dozens of other individuals, PRIOR to the UConn Board of Education’s vote.
Then, according to press reports, including the Associated Press’ national story, “UConn’s Board of Trustees unanimously selected Susan Herbst at a special meeting Monday, calling her an exceptional leader in higher education who will use her enthusiasm and experience to help UConn push ahead academically and in research.”
The situation that played out yesterday was very different. In this case, “the regents voted Thursday to recommend three finalists to Malloy for the president’s position…” and Lewis Robinson, the chairman of the Board of Regents, who was appointed by Governor Malloy, explained their decision to the CTMirror by saying, “the governor had requested three. And I thought as a courtesy or respect to his office, it would be appropriate to accede to that wish.”
This approach despite the fact that Connecticut law clearly states that it is the Board of Regents who is responsible for selecting the name of the President of the Board.
So just to be clear…
Despite what the Governor’s spokesman says, there is actually a very big difference between Malloy meeting with Susan Herbst before the UConn Board of Trustees voted to make her president and the Board of Regents inappropriately voting to forward three names to Governor Malloy so that he can interview and pick one.
In one scenario, the UConn Board of Trustees was acting legally.
In the other scenario, the Connecticut Board of Regents was acting illegally.
You can read the latest CTMirror story at: http://www.ctmirror.org/story/19641/governor-will-get-pick-next-college-president
Apr 04
jonpeltoBoard of Regents, Connecticut General Assembly, Higher Education, Jepsen, Malloy Board of Regents, Connecticut General Assembly, Malloy
Earlier today, Connecticut’s Board of Regents for Higher Education met and voted to forward three names to Governor Malloy with the request that he pick one to serve as President of the combined State University and Community College System.
But the fact is that neither the Board of Regents nor the Governor has the authority to make the choice in this way.
According to Connecticut law, the Governor nominates the majority of the members of the Board of Regents and, according to the new Board of Regents law passed in 2011, “The Governor shall appoint the chairperson of the board…”
However when it comes to choosing the President of the Connecticut Board of Regents system, the law is absolutely and completely clear.
Section 10a-1b of the Connecticut State Statutes reads, “(a) The Governor shall appoint an interim president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education who shall serve as president until a successor is appointed and confirmed. On or after January 1, 2012, the president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall be recommended by the board and appointed by the Governor…”
Governor Malloy did appoint an interim President who was forced to resign after it was discovered that he inappropriately provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses to his staff.
And now it is “on or after January 1, 2012.”
The law is that, “the president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall be recommended by the board and appointed by the Governor…”
According to a story that has been posted on the CTMirror website, the Chairman of the Board of Regents, appointed by Malloy, said that the board sent three names for Governor Malloy to pick from following “a request from the governor’s chief of staff to do so.”
The CT Mirror reports that Board of Regents Chairman Lewis Robinson said, “Which ever one he chooses, we have a fine leader…I think all three are outstanding. I am excited.”
But as the CT Mirror goes on to note, “State law requires the board to recommend “the president” to the governor. The board’s decision was announced during a two-minute public meeting following an hour-long meeting of the board behind closed doors.”
“The governor had requested three. And I thought as a courtesy or respect to his office, it would be appropriate to accede to that wish,” Robinson told the CT Mirror.
But the law is the law.
And, this is a law that the Governor’s Chief of Staff helped write and personally lobbied.
If the Governor and General Assembly meant to have the Board of Regents forward three names to a sitting governor so that the governor could then wheel and deal, they would have done that.
Instead it was written in a way similar to the law for the University of Connecticut.
Connecticut law has always been clear that it is not the role of politicians to decide which academic should run our institutions of higher education.
Instead, the approach has always been that governors nominate and legislatures approved the members of the various boards who then have the duty to make the key personnel decisions removed, or at least somewhat, from the realm of partisan and personal politics.
The debate about how best to choose the President of the Board of Regents took place two years ago. A process was decided and that process was put into law.
That process provided that the Board of Regents would go through the selection process and choose who they deemed to be the best person for the job…and the governor would then appoint that person to the post.
The law is the law.
The Chairman of the Board of Regents had an obligation to tell Governor Malloy that the Board was legally obligated to follow the law.
The Board of Regents itself was obligated to tell the Governor that the Board was legally obligated to follow the law.
And Governor Malloy and his Chief of Staff should never have requested that the Board of Regents do anything but follow the law.
As citizens of the state of Connecticut we are left wondering…
What will it take for the Governor of this state to admit that even he is not above the laws of Connecticut?
Meanwhile, Connecticut’s Attorney General should be on the phone right now ordering the Board of Regents to re-convene and conduct themselves in a manner that fulfills their duties under the laws of Connecticut, regardless of what the Governor has asked them to do.
You can find the CT Mirror story here: http://www.ctmirror.com/story/19641/governor-will-get-pick-next-college-president
Feb 01
jonpeltoHigher Education, Malloy, State Budget, State Deficit, UConn Higher Education, Malloy, State Budget, State Debt, State Deficit, UConn
By adding $1.5 billion in new state bonds on top of the remaining $235 million in UConn 2000/21st Century UConn state bonds, Governor Malloy is proposing an impressive plan to invest in “science, technology, engineering and math programs at the University of Connecticut.”
According to the Hartford Courant, “Malloy emphasized that the investment was needed to improve the state’s economy, which some see as stagnating. He predicted that over the next decade the project would attract $270 million in research grants and $527 million in business activity, as well as supporting more than 4,000 permanent jobs.”
“Quite frankly this investment should have been made 10 years ago,” Malloy said. “If it were made 20 years ago, our economy would be stronger today.”
Malloy’s plan would include $450 million for new science and engineering facilities and $770 million in infrastructure improvement, including a major expansion of UConn’s Stamford campus. The plan would also increase the number of undergraduates attending UConn from 17,000 to about 24,000.
While the University of Connecticut and Connecticut’s other public colleges and universities definitely need more operating support, the Governor proposal overlooks three key points.
First, over the past two years, this Governor has implemented the deepest cuts in state history to the University of Connecticut and the state’s other public institutions of higher education. UConn alone has been hit with over $50 million in cuts. It wasn’t that long ago that the state provided about 50 percent of the funds needed to run the University of Connecticut. As a result of the on-going reductions in support, the state’s share of funding for UConn has dropped below 30 percent. These cuts have translated into program reductions and much higher costs to students and parents. In essence, students are already being asked to pay more and get less.
Second, more recognition should be given to the fact that the state has already invested $2.3 billion in the University of Connecticut through the UConn 2000 and 21st Century bonding program. Those funds have allowed UConn to completely overhaul its facilities. Thanks to those funds, UConn has a new chemistry building, a new biology building, a new agricultural biotechnology building, a new marine science facility, two new engineering buildings, new and renovated facilities for math, physics and material sciences, a new pharmacy building and numerous other new specialized labs and classrooms.
While more facilities would certainly be optimal, what UConn desperately needs are funds to staff the new facilities and create the appropriate teaching, research and service programs that were supposed to go into those new facilities.
As most people recognize, borrowing should be used for buildings, not on-going programs.
However, in this case, while Malloy’s plan moves money around, significant amounts of the new bonding would be used to pay for new faculty members; 1,400 scholarships for top students; 50 doctoral fellowships; and 2,000 grants for students and faculty to launch projects.
Finally, Connecticut already faces significant debt and long-term liabilities that must be paid. In fact, these are liabilities that the state MUST pay off in the next couple of decades. Before adding more debt and liabilities to the state’s books, state officials must take far more aggressive action to increase funding to reduce the existing liabilities. The following chart summarizes Connecticut’s existing debt and liabilities.
| Category |
Amount of State Debt or State Unfunded Liabilities |
| State Borrowing |
$20 billion |
| State Pension Fund |
$11 billion |
| Teacher Pension Fund |
$11 billion |
| Post Retirement State and Teacher Health Benefits |
$19 billion |
| GAAP |
$1.5 billion |
| TOTAL |
$62.5 BILLION |
UConn definitely needs more funding. A more realistic approach to increasing operating funds would have been a better step forward.
You can read more about Malloy’s proposal via the following links: http://www.courant.com/news/breaking/hc-engineering-uconn-0201-20130131,0,4372437.story and http://ctmirror.org/story/18962/21-billion-plan-uconn and http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2013/01/uconn-state-officials-announce-launch-of-next-generation-connecticut-initiative/
Jan 31
jonpeltoBudget Cuts, Higher Education, Malloy, State Budget, State Deficit, UConn Malloy, State Budget, State Deficit, UConn
According to a breaking story from the Hartford Courant, “Science, technology, engineering and math programs at the University of Connecticut could get a $1.5 billion boost over the next decade, with the intention of creating a pipeline of talent that will yield substantial returns for the state workforce and economy.”
Governor Malloy has scheduled a press conference for later today to explain his initiative, but Kathy Megan of the Courant writes that the so-called Next Generation Connecticut program would:
“Increase faculty in science, technology and engineering by 258 at the three campuses, in addition to 290 new faculty the university is in the process of hiring.
Outdated classrooms, laboratories, research space and infrastructure on the Storrs campus would be renovated and new housing would be designed for the students.
The Stamford campus would expand its digital design program, creating a school of fine arts and digital design and media, while also expanding business programs in financial management, international business, global risk management, sports management and other areas. There would be some money for student housing.
In Hartford, the program would help cover the relocation of the Greater Hartford branch from West Hartford to downtown Hartford — a move that is expected to take place within a year — including the construction of laboratories. It also would fuel a collaboration with community colleges and be used to attract “high poverty, but high-potential students,” a source said, and will be used to enhance internship opportunities for undergraduates and those in graduate professional programs.”
Well at least there is the money for the mysterious move of UConn’s West Hartford branch to downtown….
So the proposal is $1.5 billion?
One would have to assume that this initiative will be funded through additional borrowing (bonding money) since the state is facing a $1.2 billion plus deficit next year and it will be hard pressed to maintain existing services, let alone add major new programs, in the years to come.
As a result of UConn 2000 and 21st Century UConn, the state of Connecticut has already committed to borrowing $2.3 billion – meaning it will cost taxpayers well over $4 billion just to pay back the funds that have already been borrowed.
And, of course, as noted in yesterday’s Wait, What? post, Connecticut is already the most debt laden state in the nation.
But another $1.5 billion in borrowing?
[As an aside, don’t get me wrong. I may be known as one of UConn’s harshest critics but I’m also one of its strongest supporters. I represented UConn and Mansfield in the Connecticut General Assembly for ten years. I wrote the Higher Education Autonomy and Flexibility bill that gave Connecticut’s public colleges and universities the autonomy they now have. I designed and coordinated the UConn 2000 advocacy campaign that led to the state’s investment of $1 billion in 1995. I supported 21st Century UConn that extended that program by $1.3 billion in 2005. And I co-chaired the Governor’s Commission on UConn 2000 that investigated the massive construction, management and financial problems associated with that spending. It was an investigation that discovered that at one point UConn had more than 5,000 students living in dorms that didn’t meet fire code. In fact, the investigation discovered UConn wasted tens of millions of dollars during the first decade of the UConn 2000/21st Century UConn program. Thankfully, all the Commission’s recommendations were adopted by the Legislature, much of it over UConn’s opposition, and the program got back on track.]
But another $1.5 billion in borrowing?
Considering the massive amount of state debt and the unfunded pension liabilities and the lack of sufficient funds for post-retirement health benefits, and the money needed to put Connecticut on GAAP accounting, Connecticut will have a difficult, if not impossible, time paying its existing bills.
Is it possible that the Governor is suggesting more debt be added?
Then again, maybe Malloy has identified a creative way to finance this initiative.
Check back later for more details.
Until then, here is the link to the Courant story: http://www.courant.com/community/mansfield/hc-uconn-engineering-school-0131-20130130,0,4906946.story
Jan 25
jonpeltoCorporate Welfare, Higher Education, Malloy, UConn Malloy, Susan Herbst, UConn, West Hartford Campus
There must be big money and politics at play behind UConn’s downtown move.
Or as they say at the Legislative Office Building – “You can smell a rat with this one.”
On Wednesday the Hartford Business Journal wrote, “The University of Connecticut’s relocation of its West Hartford campus to downtown Hartford has hit a stumbling block as the office building the school is targeting for relocation in Constitution Plaza has several issues including asbestos and space constraints…”
On Thursday the Hartford Business Journal wrote, “The University of Connecticut Thursday morning put a request for proposals seeking 150,000 square feet of office space from landlords in downtown Hartford, as the state’s flagship university looks to relocate its West Hartford campus to the Capital City.
According to the Hartford Business Journal, “UConn officials say moving into the Travelers Education Center is still not out of the question, but the school is now trying to broaden its search to it determine its options.”
However, the far more relevant question is who is pushing the entire project. Why the secrecy, the speed and the decision to walk away from millions in taxpayer funds that have already been spent on the West Hartford Campus.
On December 3rd, 2012, Wait, What? readers had a chance to learn about the issue from a post entitled, “Corporate Welfare Boondoggle Alert: Moving UConn’s West Hartford Campus downtown.”
In that post I wrote that in early November, UConn President Susan Herbst issued a statement announcing that the University of Connecticut’s Greater Hartford Campus would be moving from its West Hartford location to downtown Hartford within the year.
For starters, it was bizarre that such a significant announcement would be done by press release, and considering Governor Malloy’s approach to public relations, it was strange that he wasn’t mentioned, especially considering he is, by law, the President of the UConn Board of Trustees.
Instead UConn President Herbst rationalized the move by saying, “An estimated $18.4 million would be required to bring the buildings [at the West Hartford Campus] to an acceptable state. Furthermore, updates and repairs needed to be made to the technology infrastructure, the mechanical systems in the three main campus buildings need to be completely replaced. Combined, nearly $25 million would be needed to keep the campus operational.”
What UConn’s President failed to make clear is that $25 million in UConn 21st Century bond funds were allocated to the University in 2005 to renovate the West Hartford campus and UConn has already spent millions of dollars of that money on West Hartford campus renovations, especially over the last few years. Some of those renovations include;
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Electrical Switchgear Replacement: $1 million (2012)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Student Lounge $839,000 (2011)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – 1800 Asylum Boiler Replacement: $850,000 (2011)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements-Chemistry Lab $1.5 million: (2010)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Phase I $1.4 million: (2010)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Trecker Library Repairs $525,000 (2010)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Social Work Building $1 million (2009)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Parking Lot: $850,000 (2005)
Furthermore, less than ten years ago, UConn spent millions for a university wide master plan including one for the West Hartford Campus. It was that plan that led to the renovations that have already taken place.
Are more renovations needed? Perhaps.
Does it make more sense to move UConn’s West Hartford campus to downtown Hartford and walk away from all the work that was done? Probably not.
No matter what, policymakers, students and taxpayers deserve to know a whole lot more about what is really pushing this plan forward.
Perhaps the most telling point of all can be found in the Business Journal’s recent article where it reports, “UConn also said Thursday that it did not intend to make its move to downtown Hartford public until it had located its new location picked out, but the move was leaked by the media.”
Wait, What?
The state’s public research university is saying that it had NO INTENTION of alerting the public that it was moving its major Hartford regional campus until the new location was picked out?
It is time for a legislative investigation of this one.
You can read the first Wait, What post on this here: http://jonathanpelto.com/2012/12/03/corporate-welfare-boondoggle-alert-moving-uconns-west-hartford-campus-downtown/
And the latest two Hartford Business Journal articles here: http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130123/NEWS01/130129940 and http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130124/NEWS01/130129909
Dec 19
jonpeltoBudget Cuts, Connecticut State Government, Democratic Legislators, Healthcare, Higher Education, Human Services, Malloy, Republicans, State Budget, State Deficit Mallloy, State Budget, State Deficit
Governor Malloy issued a call for a Special Session of the Connecticut General Assembly to deal with the growing state deficit.
That Session is taking place today.
The State Senate and State House or Representatives convened at 10:00 am and then recessed until 4:30 pm so that elected officials could attend funerals and memorial services resulting from the Newtown Elementary School Massacre.
When they reconvene at 4:30 pm, a joint session of the Legislature will be held so Governor Malloy and Legislators can hold their own memorial service in honor of those who lost their lives in Newtown.
And then the legislature is scheduled to debate and vote on a plan to resolve Connecticut’s $415 million budget deficit.
Governor Malloy has already made $123 million in cuts, mostly to social services and Connecticut’s public colleges and universities. The cuts to UConn, Connecticut State University and the Community Colleges come on top of Malloy’s previous cuts to our public institutions of higher education, which were already the deepest in Connecticut history.
As the Hartford Courant noted in today’s edition,” Legislative leaders declined Tuesday to discuss the specifics of the budget deal, which was hammered out in a series of meetings last week
However, as the CTMirror is reporting, the non-partisan Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis, located at the University of Connecticut, has issues a report today noting that balancing the state budget exclusively with spending cuts could be the final straw that breaks Connecticut’s economic back, pushing it back into recession.
In a report about next year’s $1.2 billion deficit, the economists said that an “all-cut” budget could “trigger as many as 25,000 annual job losses between the public and private sectors combined.”
So, when our elected officials vote tonight, what type of budget reduction plan will they be voting on? Will it be all cuts or a combination of cuts and taxes? What programs are being cut and what taxes are being increased?
Will our legislators be voting to cut essential social services?
Will our legislators be voting to ensure that the wealthy finally start paying their fair share in state income taxes?
Will our legislators be voting to borrow money to pay for current expenses?
Will our legislators be voting on a plan that will mean higher local property taxes?
There have been no public hearings on this plan.
The discussions have been held behind closed doors.
According to the House Republican leader, Representative Cafero, the “tentative” agreement, is “truly a compromise.”
After speaking with legislators, the CTNewsjunkie explained that the compromise “means Democrats and Republicans didn’t get everything they wanted as they attempted to reach a deal on how to close the budget deficit estimated at $365 million to $415 million.”
“It relies more heavily on spending cuts than we would have liked,” the Speaker of the House told reporters as he left the closed-door caucus where Democratic legislators were briefed on this secret plan.
The Hartford Courant added, “Lawmakers are set to vote today on a plan to close a state budget deficit by scrapping longevity bonuses for nonunion state workers in favor of a new compensation formula and cutting payments to hospitals, among other measures.”
The state does provide hospitals with funds to help off-set care that the hospitals provide to non-insured people. However, massive cuts to hospitals would definitely threaten the level of services at some hospitals and lead to a major shift in costs from those state grants to those who are insured. That cost shift will translate into higher health insurance premiums for those of us who have insurance. So is the legislature’s vote going to push our health insurance premiums higher? Is that fair?
And cutting out longevity bonuses for non-union workers is certainly understandable, but it solves about 1% of the $400 plus million state budget deficit.
So where are cuts coming from?
While action is definitely needed to bring Connecticut’s budget deficit under control, passing a “plan” that has never seen the light of day is not only incredibly inappropriate, but it is down-right unfair and undemocratic.
This plan, if it looks like the “road-map” proposed by Governor Malloy, will cut deeply into some of the most vital and essential services the state of Connecticut provides our most vulnerable citizens.
Malloy’s budget road map looked like something that would be put out by a Republican governor, not a solution based on the values and ideals of the Democratic Party.
Perhaps the secret plan will be fantastic.
Perhaps the secret plan will be a disaster.
But voting on the plan without telling the media and the people what is in it is bad news for Connecticut.
The people of our state deserve better.
Dec 05
jonpeltoBoard of Regents, Budget Cuts, Higher Education, Malloy Board of Regents, Higher Education, Malloy
They said it was all about adding faculty for Connecticut’s public colleges. While the number of students had increased dramatically, the number of full-time faculty had declined by 10 percent over the past eight years.
First came Malloy’s merger of the Connecticut State Universities and the Community Colleges. The promise was that the plan would save at least $4.3 million, money that would then be used to hire new faculty.
State Senator Beth Bye, the legislator’s strongest advocate for the merger, echoed Malloy’s claim, writing in a commentary piece that, “One financial benefit of the governor’s proposed overhaul is that an estimated $4.3 million is saved by eliminating duplicative administrative costs…” Senator Bye added that the savings would be used to add faculty.
Then came the tuition increases. The cost for an in-state student attending one of the Connecticut State Universities and living on campus jumped to $19,119.
But Mike Meotti, Governor Malloy’s point person on the merger, and the Executive Vice President of the Board of Regents promised, “This recommended increase will allow our state colleges and universities to hire additional faculty…”
Meanwhile, Governor Malloy’s own spokesman called the increase “fairly modest” and defended the decision to raise tuition during a recession saying that the money would be spent on new faculty.
But today, the Board of Regents announced that the $5.5 million that they pledged to use to hire at least 47 new faculty is being eliminated as a result of Governor Malloy’s recent $14.4 million cut to the new system.
As noted in today’s CTMirror, “A letter from the college system’s chief financial officer instructed college presidents not to move forward with hiring the new positions the appointed Board of Regents for Higher Education approved three months ago.”
And surprise, surprise, the CT Mirror found that “the Malloy administration was not immediately available for comment” on this recent development.
At this point, since Malloy took office last year he has cut state spending on public college and universities by more than 14%, reaffirming his position as the Governor who has made the deepest cuts in the history of Connecticut’s public higher education system.
The result being that, once again, Connecticut students and parents are left paying more and getting less.
The CTMirror story can be found here: http://www.ctmirror.org/story/18367/state-deficit-stalls-promised-new-faculty-positions-higher-ed-shakeup
Dec 03
jonpeltoCorporate Welfare, Higher Education, Malloy, UConn Malloy, UConn, UConn President Susan Herbst, West Hartford Campus
On November 8, two days after this year’s election, UConn President Susan Herbst released a statement announcing that the University of Connecticut’s Greater Hartford Campus will be moving from its West Hartford location to downtown Hartford within the year.
Beyond a claim that “this will be a win-win for UConn, our students and the City of Hartford,” UConn’s President failed to provide any details whatsoever, citing the need for secrecy since negotiations on the issue where on-going.
As the Associated Press put it, “UConn said it’s not ready to identify possible Hartford sites that would house the new campus.” The only other fact that came to light was that the 58 acre West Hartford campus would be sold after the move.
Stepping back for a moment it becomes apparent that nothing about this development or the statement makes sense.
In fact, it is so devoid of logic that it begs the question, what is really going on behind the scenes with UConn’s West Hartford Campus?
First off, these types of announcements are never made by press release. UConn moving into downtown Hartford is the type of announcement that this Governor (or any governor) would be part of. Particularly since under Connecticut law, the Governor serves as the President of the UConn Board of Trustees.
Second, as a public entity, a move like this would require a transparent process (or at least that is what the law requires).
Instead, the AP reports that, “the move would cost about $125,000, but UConn says it would save about $25 million in a few years. It also intends to sell the 58-acre West Hartford campus, which includes five buildings.”
$125,000 to move the entire campus downtown?
Perhaps the biggest clue that things are not what they seem is that UConn’s President felt the need to skip over large segments of the truth when making the announcement in the first place.
According to UConn President Herbst, “An estimated $18.4 million would be required to bring the buildings to an acceptable state. Furthermore, updates and repairs needed to be made to the technology infrastructure, the mechanical systems in the three main campus buildings need to be completely replaced. Combined, nearly $25 million would be needed to keep the campus operational, in addition to the $7.2 million spent on continual repairs to the campus over the past four years.”
Yes, in fact UConn has spent a good deal of money to upgrade and renovate the West Hartford Campus in recent years. Projects Include;
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Electrical Switchgear Replacement: $1 million (2012)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Student Lounge $839,000 (2011)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – 1800 Asylum Boiler Replacement: $850,000 (2011)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements-Chemistry Lab $1.5 million: (2010)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Phase I $1.4 million: (2010)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Trecker Library Repairs $525,000 (2010)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Social Work Building $1 million (2009)
- West Hartford Campus Renovations/Improvements – Parking Lot: $850,000 (2005)
And it wasn’t as if this money was spent without proper planning and consideration.
In 2004, the University of Connecticut spent millions for a Master Plan for the Storrs Campus and the regional campus. In fact, a whole separate Greater Hartford Campus Master Plan was developed and published.
The document, based on the University’s academic plan identified that UConn needed to renovate and expand, in order to generate an additional 30,140 ASF of space by 2013. The plan outlined the steps necessary to increase the amount of academic space by 21%, adding classrooms, labs, research space and other departmental spaces. In addition, Academic Support Space would be increase of 41% for the library, community center and the physical plant facilities.
The next year, in 2005, when UConn went to the General Assembly for the second part of UConn 2000, called UConn 21st Century; it provided a list of $1.3 billion worth of construction for both the University and the UConn Health Center.
And in 2006, UConn’s new construction plan included spending $9.5 million on the West Hartford Campus in FY10, 10 million in FY 12 and 4 million in FY14.
Then, within a year, those funds disappeared as UConn’s administration decided that they’d rather use the money to build or renovate in Storrs.
In the end, only about $7 million was left and spent for improvements to the West Hartford Campus.
So call it more than a bit disingenuous for UConn’s President Herbst to claim that they need to move downtown because it would cost $25 million to fix up the West Hartford Campus. UConn knew that, they had the money and plans to make those renovations as late as 2006, and for reasons Herbst doesn’t explain, they chose to shift the money.
Even more peculiar is the suggestion that it would only cost $125,000 to move the campus downtown.
Obviously, it would cost millions to lease and fit out an existing building.
Something big is afoot, and whatever it is, it can’t handle the light of transparency or UConn and the Malloy Administration would be doing it in the open.
As the Hartford Courant noted, “Three locations have emerged as leading contenders for the new campus: the former Travelers Education Center on Constitution Plaza; the two-towered Connecticut River Plaza; and One Talcott Plaza on Talcott Street. All three locations are within a block of a UConn graduate business program.
The vacant Traveler’s Education Center encompasses 135,000 square feet and has been for sale or lease for about a year. The building is outfitted with classrooms and meeting space.
The 575,000-square-foot Connecticut River Plaza on nearby Columbus Boulevard has been under consideration by the state as a leading location to consolidate state workers in other leased office space, according to real estate sources.
The smaller, 103,000-square-foot building on Talcott Street near the G. Fox Building has long been vacant.”
So perhaps it is all part of a corporate welfare deal to fill up some private developer’s empty building?
Of course, getting the West Hartford Branch off of a prime piece of property on Asylum Avenue has its advantages as well.
Regardless of who “wins” the one thing we can be sure of is that UConn’s students and Connecticut’s taxpayers will be the losers.
UConn has put more than $7 million into its West Hartford Campus and is now walking away from those improvements, and its own plan.
And just as incredible, UConn, with no feasibility study, no academic plan and no money is going to lease space and move downtown?
As the saying goes, “I wasn’t born yesterday.”
UConn and the Malloy Administration are engaged in a major ruse and it deserves more coverage than the reporting it has gotten to date. There was a reason they dropped the media statement during election week. It was to limit coverage and that is exactly what has happened.
For what substantive coverage there was, see the Hartford Courant’s article November 8, 2012: http://articles.courant.com/2012-11-08/news/hc-uconn-moves-to-hartford-20121108_1_west-hartford-campus-uconn-plans-new-campus and here is the Ch. 8 version http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/hartford_cty/uconn-to-quit-west-hartford-for-move-to-hartford#.ULzlCIPXZrU
And here a link to UConn’s West Hartford Campus Master plan: http://www.masterplan.uconn.edu/hartford.html
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