Chairman Larry McHugh’s comments during the UConn Board of Trustees meeting – Sept. 27, 2017
We should all be thankful for Governor Malloy’s strong support of higher education. And those members of the Senate and House who are strong supporters of UConn.
As you know, I have been involved in supporting higher education in Connecticut for over 34 years. The Republican sponsored budget that just passed the General Assembly is probably the worst attack on public education I have seen in those 34 years. This budget is a disaster for higher ed.
I want to be clear that we are open to taking cuts. We were prepared to accept over $100 million in cuts under the governor’s budget. But this massive $300 million cut is over the top. It threatens all the progress that has been made in making our university the pride of the state and undercuts the tremendous investment that has been made in UConn.
I have always said that we need to strive for excellence and I will not apologize for supporting a university that works toward that goal.
In my work at the Chamber of Commerce, I meet and work with members of the business community all day long. The State’s economy is fragile. Regardless of the type and size of the business, the one common theme is how important it is to have a well-educated workforce.
Since a majority of our students remain here to live and work in Connecticut after they graduate, UConn is a place that these businesses count on as a source for its future hires. UConn is the catalyst for economic growth by providing the brain power, research, employees, and support to companies from start-ups to major corporations.
A strong UConn will help our economy to get back on the right track. So to make large cuts just for the sake of getting to a particular budget number is short-sighted to say the least.
Every state in the nation takes pride in its flagship university. We have just been ranked number 18 out of 132 public national universities.
Because of that, we are the envy of other states that strive to achieve that level of success. We are at a moment where our public leaders must make a choice as to whether or not they want an outstanding flagship University. So much of our economy depends on that choice. If the reputation and quality of UConn suffers, so will the economy, and it will lay squarely at the feet of those who make the public policy decision to sacrifice the University of Connecticut.
We know that we must be part of the solution and demonstrate shared sacrifice. Since 2010, we have contended with over $142 million in cuts. We never complained. When the Governor proposed a budget that would mean having to absorb another $100 million in cuts, we did not complain. We said we would do our part. Let’s be clear that those are massive cuts. But to propose triple that amount is not something we can just stay quiet about.
What I am so proud of is that the UConn Nation has come together in reaction to this budget. Members of the UConn Nation, including alumni, students, parents, patients, donors, and sports fans, are represented in every town and district of this state. They are paying attention to how this budget will impact the economy, their healthcare, critical research, student success, and the value of their degree.
Finally, I want to say how proud I am of how President Herbst has been out there defending UConn. She knows that now is not the time to sit idly by. Fighting for our budget is her job.
But let me make one thing perfectly clear. Any major cuts to programs whether at Storrs, UConn Health, or any of the regional campuses will be decided by the Board of Trustees, based on the university’s recommendations. With these massive cuts looming, EVERYTHING is on the table. The Board will make those decisions based on what is in the overall best interest of protecting this great university, and not on politics.
I pledge that we will work to keep this university a place that all of Connecticut can continue to be proud of. Stick with us. We will need all your help.
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UConn President Susan Herbst’s Report to the UConn Board of Trustees – Sept. 27, 2017
The last 10 days have been interesting for us at UConn, to say the least.
By now you are all well aware of the budget that was approved by the General Assembly earlier this month and what its impact on UConn would have been.
And we don’t know what the next version will bring.
Let me make 4 points:
- There is a belief in some quarters that we will not make major cuts, such as closing colleges or campuses, in the face of massive state budget cuts. We have and we will. As you recall, we – and it was hard on us and the community – closed the Torrington campus. We have closed colleges and eliminated dean positions in recent years: The College of Continuing Studies, the College of Allied Health, the College of Family Studies. I ask that folks listen to what we say and watch the hard things we’ve done in the past to cut budgets. They are not pleasant actions, but we take them when we are left with no other realistic choice.
- On the one hand, we are told we must absorb massive cuts, but are then told by some that we may not cut anything significant. Or anything people like or care about. But everything is important to someone. There is no low-hanging fruit or mythical fat adding up to $300 million, or even a small fraction of that, that could easily go.
We could zero out the salary of every single senior administrator and it would be a tiny fraction of our overall budget and barely make a dent in a $300 million reduction. So let’s get some perspective with the facts.
- Speaking of facts. I’ve been a social scientist for over 30 years, and in my work, I focus on quantitative measurement, data analysis and interpretation. There’s some very poor and woefully distorted data out there in very pretty charts on the Internet. Don’t be fooled, as hard as this is to read through.
For example, of course a university’s expenditures go up over years, when they expand their enrollment by the thousands.
And they go up because we must support advanced computing, modern educational resources, new facilities, mental health services, sexual assault prevention, legal compliance, and not to mention, actually making undergraduate education better.
There’s no free lunch for a comprehensive public university, one where the state has in fact chartered us to be comprehensive. We are glad serve our students and the state. We do it well – we are 18th public research university out of hundreds, not 50 – and we do it efficiently.
- I urge all of our folks to please continue keeping the discourse – online and in print – civil. I thank you for that, USG and our tremendous faculty and staff. Even if there are ad hominem approaches taken by others off campus, we don’t go low. The funding and support of UCONN is a public policy matter for our students and state; it’s not about me or anyone else.
I want to thank our students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, donors and others supporters for speaking up for UConn.
We will wait and see what the new budget looks like.
Kick off the holiday season by attending the Festival of Trees and Winter Faire, Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., University Tower Main level. Hosted by the 
