Latest news with #CSCU
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
CSCU awarding over $2.1 million in scholarship funding
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — Connecticut State Colleges and Universities is awarding more than $2.1 million in new scholarship funding. The money will go toward nursing and social work students at Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western Connecticut State Universities, as well as Charter Oak State College. CSCU faculty members push back against potential budget cuts It's part of the second year of the Connecticut Health Horizons initiative, aiming to address the critical statewide workforce shortage in nursing and social work. In the second year of the three-year initiative, CSCU awarded 481 scholarships worth more than $2.1 million. That included more than 150 Accelerated Bachelor's in nursing, about 350 Bachelor of Science in nursing, 100 Master of Social Work, and 20 psychiatric mental health Nurse Practitioners. In a statement, to News8 Chancellor of the CSCU system Terrence Cheng said, 'The Connecticut Health Horizons initiative is a game changer for the state of Connecticut. We have been able to open up access to nursing and social work degrees, create new partnerships, and build futures.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CT State Colleges and Universities union warns of cuts: ‘Cutting the faculty will diminish … essential supports'
Anticipating faculty layoffs and up to 750 course section eliminations Connecticut State Colleges and University faculty are calling on leadership to use its reserve funds in the millions to stave off potential cuts. Members of the CSU-AAUP urged the CSCU Board of Regents Wednesday to leverage the funds and protect faculty and students. Cindy Stretch, an English professor at Southern Connecticut State University and vice president of CSU-AAUP, said the legislature expects the money accumulated by the System Office to be used for teachers. 'Instead the Board's Finance Committee is channeling Scrooge McDuck and stockpiling our funding in so-called reserve accounts,' she said. CSU-AAUP members argue that the potential cuts would result in fewer course options, a reduction in faculty, larger class sizes, a heavier course load for faculty and fewer opportunities to work individually with students to help them excel. But CSCU officials say that the CSCU reserves are dependent on the funding allocation from the state, which has yet to finalize its budget and that the Board has no authority on how the money is spent, with any cuts made to programs or faculty done at the individual college or university. 'CSCU's colleges and universities plan to use more than $130 million in institutional reserves over the next biennium,' said Samantha Norton, director of communications for Connecticut State Colleges & Universities. 'At this point we do not know how much funding the CSCU system will receive. Our reserve plan is dependent on our funding allocation from the state.' CSCU requested $555.4 million in each year of the biennium, according to Norton. In fiscal year 2026, this is $83.7 million more than what Gov. Ned Lamont proposed in his budget; and in fiscal year 2027, it is $70.3 million more than what the governor proposed in his budget, Norton said. CSCU is a system of four state universities – Central, Eastern, Western and Southern – one community college with 12 campuses and Charter Oak State College, the state's only public online college. Madeline St. Amour, director of communications for the CSU-AAUP, said that the Board of Regents is planning potential cuts of at least $12 million at the four CSUs in fiscal year 2026 and 2027. Guay told the Courant that no number has been finalized yet. 'We are waiting for the budget to be finalized in June,' he said. 'That will dictate what the ask is and what the cuts could be. A lot of the reserves sit at the institutional level and the institutions get together in a shared governance process to agree to how to move the institution forward with their fiscal constraints and reserves.' Adam Joseph, vice chair for external affairs at CSCU, said putting together a budget is like putting together a puzzle. 'We are trying to adapt to what the state funding will be,' he said. 'Each year our institution is operating within the budget that is available to them.' Joseph acknowledged that this has resulted in cuts in some cases over the years. Wearing red shirts that read 'Opening Minds, Opening Doors,' the union members, all faculty members of CSU, attended the board meeting and went directly to Guay, wanting assurances that investments would be made in education. But they said they were not given those assurances, and instead left with no answers. Wendy Wallace, part-time faculty member in the English department at SCSU, said she believes the Board could allocate the funding from its reserves. 'They have the money,' she said. 'It is that simple. They need to allocate it.' But Norton said the vast majority of the reserves at $89 million at the System Office are held for debt service and deferred maintenance and are not readily available. 'It is not required for the state to fund those reserves first as the money is in our accounts,' she said in an email. The state has flat-funded the CSCU system for years, CSU-AAUP members say, leading to cuts over the years that have already left the CSCU system with fewer staff, with increased enrollment. At Southern Connecticut State University, Provost Julia Irwin has proposed a $750,000 cut in the adjunct faculty for the 2025-26 year, which amounts to a 5% cut in part-time faculty across the university. 'I am very concerned about part-time faculty losing jobs, myself included, and I am concerned about how this would impact student learning and resources for students and their opportunity to get an effective education,' Wallace said. Wallace went on further to say that with an evolving society changing so fast and the impact of COVID on learning, students need a lot of 'individual attention and they need to be cared for. 'They need the help, care and support that we as faculty provide,' she told the Courant. 'The value of that can't be understated. Cutting the faculty will diminish our ability to provide those essential supports and essential education that they require.' Michael Brelsford, part-time faculty member in the English department at SCSU, said the cuts will have a huge impact on students, explaining that their whole college career and retention is at stake if they don't have a meaningful experience, also increasing the drop out risk. St. Amour said the potential cuts will not only hurt students because of the limited course offerings but it may affect their ability to graduate on time because of a reduction in services and tutoring. Wallace said, 'It is a matter of do we want to have a world class education in this state or are we going to sacrifice that for dollars?' Stretch told the Courant the English department at SCSU is down a third since she has been there. 'There are a lot of people in our department that don't know if they are going to have a job in the fall,' she said. She also spoke to the reduction in part-time faculty in her department, explaining that 20 years ago they had 80 teaching composition. That number is now down by half to 40. 'There is nothing else to cut without making significant impacts on things like class sizes,' she said. 'What I am concerned about is the Board of Regents does not seem to have a plan or a vision on how to get the reserves and make it possible for us to do the important work we have been doing and continue to do. Give us the resources to meet the needs of the students.' She said students do not want large class sizes. 'They don't want that experience,' she said. 'They want faculty members that know their names.' Fiona Pearson, CCSU sociology professor and chair, said in 2017 the department had a budget of $13,000. Now they are operating on $6,000. They are now expected to do more with less, she explained, with enrollment increasing and full-time faculty dropping in the department from 11 to nine. The department has doubled its part-time faculty, she said.
Canada Standard
24-05-2025
- Canada Standard
Joint CBSA and OPP investigation leads to arrest and charges for drug importation and trafficking
Canada News Centre 24 May 2025, 00:30 GMT+10 May 23, 2025 Ottawa, Ontario A 47-year-old was arrested and is facing drug related charges after a joint investigation involving the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). On Thursday, May 8, 2025, the CBSA conducted a secondary inspection of a package from Italy arriving at the Ottawa International Airport. Testing determined the contents was heroin. The CBSA requested assistance from the OPP Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU). On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the joint investigation resulted in the execution of a search warrant by CSCU members, as well as members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau and CBSA, at a residence on Red Castle Ride, in the Manotick area of Ottawa. One person was arrested the scene. Harvinder Singh Malhi of Ottawa has been charged under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act with: Import Schedule 1 substance Possession a of Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking The accused has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa on June 24, 2025.
Cision Canada
23-05-2025
- Cision Canada
Joint CBSA and OPP investigation leads to arrest and charges for drug importation and trafficking Français
OTTAWA, ON, May 23, 2025 /CNW/ - A 47-year-old was arrested and is facing drug related charges after a joint investigation involving the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). On Thursday, May 8, 2025, the CBSA conducted a secondary inspection of a package from Italy arriving at the Ottawa International Airport. Testing determined the contents was heroin. The CBSA requested assistance from the OPP Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU). On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the joint investigation resulted in the execution of a search warrant by CSCU members, as well as members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau and CBSA, at a residence on Red Castle Ride, in the Manotick area of Ottawa. One person was arrested the scene. Harvinder Singh Malhi of Ottawa has been charged under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act with: Import Schedule 1 substance Possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking The accused has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa on June 24, 2025. Follow us on X (@CanBorder) and Instagram (@canborder), join us on Facebook or visit our YouTube channel. SOURCE Canada Border Services Agency
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate Republicans want veto power over CSCU salaries after chancellor is ousted
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — The controversy surrounding Terrence Cheng, the outgoing head of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU), system spilled onto the floor of the State Senate on Wednesday afternoon when Senate Minority Leader Steve Harding introduced a measure that would give the state legislature veto power over salaries exceeding $400,000 at CSCU. CSCU chancellor will transition into new role, Board of Regents says 'We believe that the taxpayer money is sacred,' Harding said. 'The tuition money is sacred. It should be used in an efficient and effective manner. And using it in the manner that Chancellor Cheng did is unacceptable. And what the board of regents did is basically is hand him a $440,000 a year salary on the taxpayer dime.' The measure came in reaction to the news that Cheng would continue to receive his $442,000 salary for the next year, even after he steps down from the top job at CSCU in July. The board that oversees CSCU declined to renew Cheng's contract for another term but said on Monday that he would continue to stay on the state payroll as an advisor to the system. He has been the subject of widespread criticism since last year, when a report published by CT Insider revealed he charged tens of thousands of dollars worth of meals, alcohol and private car services to his state credit card. Gov. Ned Lamont said that Cheng still has a year left on his current contract and he is obligated to receive his base salary through that period. Rob Blanchard, the governor's chief spokesman, responded to Harding's criticism saying in part, 'As Sen. Harding ought to know, only the [CSCU board] has the power to negotiate the chancellor's contract.' Blanchard's statement continued, 'Moreso, he claims to be focused on issues impacting taxpayers, yet he has continuously ignored addressing costly tariffs and federal cuts to public health, libraries and social services that residents on Main Street are felling.' Harding's measure was shot down by a party line vote, with majority Democrats in opposition. State Sen. Derek Slap, the top senator on the legislative committee that oversees higher education, called Harding's move a 'gimmick' and said lawmakers should instead focus on passing a separate piece of legislation that addresses the type of spending practices Cheng and other CSCU officials engaged in. 'We do have a real way to ensure that taxpayer money is better spent when it comes to higher education,' Slap said. 'There is a bill, bipartisan, that passed through the Higher Education Committee — better transparency, better accountability, tackling exactly the type of thing that we saw with Chancellor Cheng. So, let's do that. That's real. This amendment is just a gimmick.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
