Latest news with #ConnecticutStateCollegesandUniversities
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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
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.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CSCU chancellor will transition into new role, Board of Regents says
The video above aired in December of 2024, when Comptroller Sean Scanlon released an independent audit of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) System. HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The chancellor of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities will be stepping away from his role soon, according to the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education. Officials said the board and Chancellor Terrence Cheng have mutually agreed not to extend his contact beyond its current end date of June 30, 2026. Connecticut comptroller's college system audit reveals 'systematic' misuse of state funds Starting on July 1, 2025, they said Cheng will also transition into a new role as strategic advisory to the board. An interim chancellor is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. 'I am incredibly proud of the work we have done to eliminate barriers to higher education, and increase educational access, equity, and opportunity for students, particularly for first-generation and minoritized students. Together, we have opened new doors for students and changed the trajectory of their lives,' Cheng said in a statement. The chair of the board thanked Cheng for his work, while looking forward to taking the system in 'a new direction.' Connecticut state colleges see increase in student enrollment 'I thank Chancellor Cheng for his hard work, partnership, and dedication to the system,' Chair of the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education Marty Guay said. 'The future is bright for CSCU as we look to set a new direction for the system.' Cheng's term as chancellor was the subject of last year's independent audit of the college system, which found a systematic misuse of taxpayers funds. Comptroller Sean Scanlon released the audit in December, at request of Governor Ned Lamont, who said in late October reports of 'controversial spending decisions' raised concerns. The office was provided over 780,000 transactions from July 1, 2021, to the end of October 2024, which was purposefully chosen to line up with Cheng's term. Scanlon said the audit found bills for expensive meals, delivery services, room service, dry cleaning, tickets to events unrelated to schools, Eversource and cell phone bills for students without clear adherence to a policy. Cheng's P-Card expenses stood out in the report, which found the chancellor spent $19,000 on food over the three year period, and many of the meals violated state policy. Since the report came out, Senate and House GOP members have called for Cheng's removal. 'Chancellor Cheng should have resigned long ago. Republicans demanded that he do so. Gov. Lamont should have demanded that resignation,' Sen. Henri Martin, Sen. Rob Sampson and Sen. Stephen Harding said in a statement released Monday. House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora and State Rep. Seth Bronko shared the following statement: 'Given the well-deserved controversy over Terrence Cheng's flagrant — if not infamous — spending abuses, and the systemwide revolt by staff against his leadership, his departure as chancellor is long overdue. Public trust has been shattered, and a change was needed so the system can begin to rebuild. Unfortunately, students, parents, and taxpayers won't be able to move on so easily, as Mr. Cheng will remain on the payroll as a 'strategic advisor' for the final year of his contract. Going forward, the Board of Regents must ensure that contracts for this position prioritize the interests of the state — and that far stronger oversight is finally put in place.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CT governor's proposed $55.2B budget includes income tax cut, early childhood development
Gov. Ned Lamont unveiled a $55.2 billion biennial budget Wednesday that would loosen Connecticut's fiscal 'guardrails,' launch a major early childhood development initiative, provide a $50 income tax cut and restructure hospital taxes to secure more federal aid. Thanks to a controversial maneuver that shifts about $300 million outside of the budget, the governor's proposal falls a razor-thin $1.8 million under the spending cap in the first year and a more comfortable $261 million under the limit in 2026-27. Lamont's blueprint begins what's anticipated to be a four-month-long debate with lawmakers over Connecticut's fiscal priorities. The General Assembly, which will offer its own budget recommendations in late April, is expected to adopt a compromise plan with the governor in early June. Here what Lamont's budget proposal would mean for several areas of state funding. The governor's budget included some increases in general operating grants and special education for K-12 schools — though not as much as educators and advocates were seeking. And it left the state's higher education institutions, the University of Connecticut and Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, bracing for cutbacks as they would have to absorb the loss of more than $200 million in expiring federal pandemic funding that legislators have used to keep them afloat since 2021. Without that federal aid, both UConn and CSCU officials will be forced to draw down reserves and look to cut spending, unless they can convince legislators to pony up more state funds than Lamont would. For the state's K-12 schools, a$54 million investment in special education, announced earlier this week, was allocated in the second year of the governor's biennial budget. But districts had called for about $90 million more from the state to cover growing costs — funding many say can't wait. Increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates, restructuring hospital taxes and reining in pharmaceutical costs topped Lamont's list of health care priorities in his proposed budget. The proposal includes an increase of $35.4 million in state funding for Medicaid reimbursement to providers over the biennium, including $10.4 million in FY 2026 and $25 million in FY 2027. Legislators and physicians for years have been sounding the alarm that the prevailing reimbursement rates were too low, making it unaffordable for health care providers to treat patients with Medicaid coverage. Additionally, Lamont wants hospitals to pay an extra $140 million in the second year of the new budget but also would increase payments back to the industry by a matching amount. The administration estimates this arrangement would qualify Connecticut for an additional $94 million in federal Medicaid reimbursement. The arrangement would help to dig the Medicaid program out of its fiscal deficit, projected to be $290 million in FY 2025. But, it also essentially asks hospitals again to trust that increased taxes won't lead to fiscal abuses by the state down the road. Lamont's budget also includes several provisions aimed at tackling the high cost of prescription drugs. The budget would allow the purchase of out-of-pocket and out-of-network prescription drugs to count toward consumers' health plan deductibles, provided they pay a lower price for those drugs than they would at an in-network pharmacy with insurance. And the governor pitched adding funds for oversight of hospitals and home care programs following news of Prospect Medical Holdings filing for bankruptcy. The company owns three Connecticut hospitals — in Waterbury, Manchester and Vernon. Investments in child care that Gov. Ned Lamont hopes will eventually allow Connecticut to establish a universal preschool program formed the signature piece of his proposal for spending on human services in the coming biennium. Lamont's proposal would invest $300 million of the state's surplus fund for fiscal year 2025 into a new Universal Preschool Endowment. Each subsequent year, certain surplus funding could be transferred into the endowment, with the state treasurer investing the money to increase profit. But the proposal does not fully address the needs of othernonprofits who provide a slew of state services including food assistance, shelter for the homeless, therapeutic services, and aid for people with disabilities. The governor's budget includes an additional $157 million over the next two years for nonprofit service providers. Nonprofits would receive $31 million the first year, with a boost of $126 million coming the following year. But providers received $50 million in one-time federal COVID relief dollars for this fiscal year, which will not be renewed. That means in fiscal year 2026, when they receive an additional $31 million, they'll actually see a net loss in funding ahead of another increase in fiscal year 2027. Compiled by Gabby DeBenedictis and Kat Struhar. Copyright 2025 © The Connecticut Mirror ( This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Gov. Lamont's CT budget proposal has income tax cut, education funding
