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Tuition, state dollars diverted to research
As CSU beefs up research efforts and marketing, burden falls on struggling students, colleges
Aaron Hedge and J. David McSwane
Issue date: 9/23/08 Section: News
As CSU President Larry Penley continues to aggressively market and fundraise for research projects -- catapulted by the new "Green University" campaign -- university expenditure reports show the criticized efforts are pulling money from financially starved academic colleges.
The increased focus on competing for research dollars in the last five years, namely for the branded "Supercluster" technology transfer concepts, is costing students and the state more money each year, a Collegian investigation found.
Each year since Penley's arrival in 2003, the university has increasingly pulled millions of dollars from institutional funds for research, leaving less for academic colleges and the library, which are for the first time in the school's history, drawing less financial support than administration, according to annual university budget reports.
University officials defend the investment of student and taxpayer dollars on research as fulfilling the mission of a 21st century land grant research institution to bring new research to the state, and they say the research improves the value of a CSU degree.
"There are plenty of non-research universities students can go to, but the value of a degree comes from the reputation of the institution, which comes from research," said Tony Frank, the provost and senior executive vice president. " … It's why we exist," he said.
In his fall address, Penley boasted a record-breaking $303 million in research expenditures for fiscal year 2008. But for every dollar of sponsored research, the university spent 15 cents -- about $45 million total -- in institutional funds from what's commonly referred to as the "general fund," an aggregate account of primarily tuition dollars, state dollars and other less significant revenue streams like private donations.
At the same time, resident undergraduate tuition has increased 52 percent -- from $2,907.90 in 2003 to $4,424 today -- since Penley's arrival, and undergraduate student fees have climbed by more than 73 percent, from $836.40 in 2003 to $1449.56 today.
The increased focus on competing for research dollars in the last five years, namely for the branded "Supercluster" technology transfer concepts, is costing students and the state more money each year, a Collegian investigation found.
Each year since Penley's arrival in 2003, the university has increasingly pulled millions of dollars from institutional funds for research, leaving less for academic colleges and the library, which are for the first time in the school's history, drawing less financial support than administration, according to annual university budget reports.
University officials defend the investment of student and taxpayer dollars on research as fulfilling the mission of a 21st century land grant research institution to bring new research to the state, and they say the research improves the value of a CSU degree.
"There are plenty of non-research universities students can go to, but the value of a degree comes from the reputation of the institution, which comes from research," said Tony Frank, the provost and senior executive vice president. " … It's why we exist," he said.
In his fall address, Penley boasted a record-breaking $303 million in research expenditures for fiscal year 2008. But for every dollar of sponsored research, the university spent 15 cents -- about $45 million total -- in institutional funds from what's commonly referred to as the "general fund," an aggregate account of primarily tuition dollars, state dollars and other less significant revenue streams like private donations.
At the same time, resident undergraduate tuition has increased 52 percent -- from $2,907.90 in 2003 to $4,424 today -- since Penley's arrival, and undergraduate student fees have climbed by more than 73 percent, from $836.40 in 2003 to $1449.56 today.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Alum13
posted 9/23/08 @ 2:25 PM MST
This "Collegian Investigation" was already reported a week ago in an in-depth series on the Colorado Independent: www.coloradoindependent.com
The Dark Lord
posted 9/23/08 @ 5:29 PM MST
This piece isn't an "investigation."
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