Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

Just a quick update on a couple of things:

Promising state budget

The Governor today announced his state budget for next year, which includes a proposal for $30 million more in state funding for higher education; CSU’s share of that total will be approximately 20%. The Governor is also recommending some additional funding for student financial aid and campus controlled maintenance. While there remains a lot of work ahead in the legislative session before this is final, this increase is roughly in the range we’ve been modeling, and it’s a wonderful change from past three years in which we’ve seen about $193 million in funding cuts to Colorado colleges and universities. This increase is very welcome and will help us make progress in both the quality of the institution and in keeping tuition increases down for next year.

Those Impacted by Hurricane Sandy

We’re sending out a message to all CSU alumni today to let them know that the entire Colorado State community is sending out hopes and prayers this week to the people and communities struggling with devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Our hearts go out to those in the Caribbean, United States, and Canada who are struggling — particularly the many members of our Ram Family who have suffered losses in the storm. We recognize that many of those directly affected won’t receive this message because of ongoing power outages and limited access to the internet. We also know that many people are only now coming to understand the magnitude of the damage they’re facing. And so I ask that the rest of us rally as a community to do what we can to support them in this time of unimaginable need. Please consider making a contribution to the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org. And if you have been personally impacted by the storm and are facing immediate and urgent needs, please let us know as soon as you can — the University community is here to support you.

I’m going to end there and prove that I actually can write a short e-mail … well, at least shorter than some.

Don’t Forget to Vote!

Enjoy your weekend — and don’t forget to vote by Tuesday, November 6. It’s one of our greatest rights and responsibilities as citizens. (And remember, you’re not in Illinois, so only vote once… )

Sincerely,

-tony

Dr. Tony Frank
President