Faculty and students from the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system decried austerity measures that reduce student services and demanded more funding for the state schools at a rally Thursday at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain
During a series of speeches, speakers railed against the state’s fiscal guardrails, blaming the legislature’s spending caps for “inadequate” higher education budgets and program cuts as the state holds a surplus in its reserves.
“We are here to call out Chancellor (Terrence) Cheng and Gov. (Ned) Lamont for their failure to lead and invest in our CSCU system,” Seth Freeman, the president of the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges, said. “The solution is to change the fiscal roadblocks that are manufacturing austerity budgets from the governor. … This upcoming legislative session, we’re gonna force Gov. Lamont and legislators to prioritize our students, our workers, our economy, our future.”
In a statement to the Courant Thursday, David Bednarz, a spokesman for the governor, rejected the unions’ claim that Lamont has pushed “austerity budgets.”
“Gov. Lamont is a strong supporter of CSCU, and every single budget he has ever signed into law has increased state funding for this system by millions of dollars. In fact, the amount of state funding appropriated to CSCU has never been cut in any budget approved while Gov. Lamont has been in office,” Bednarz said.
“The governor particularly appreciates the role CSCU plays in helping Connecticut’s students become career ready and trained for in-demand jobs,” Bednarz added. “The administration is still working on a budget proposal for the upcoming year and anticipates that this proposal will include support to ensure that this system can continue to thrive.”
However, union representatives expressed concern that CSCU leaders are not asking the state for the funds needed to fully serve students.
According to a statement from the unions, CSCU is projected to “lose $156 million in temporary funding” in Fiscal Year 2026. In contrast, the unions said CSCU’s leadership has requested “just over $50 million for the biennial budget.”
“Instead of fighting for what our students need, the system is instead planning to mitigate $95 million in just FY26,” the unions said in a release Thursday. “We need at least $100 million more than what the system is asking for just to stay where we are … after years of cuts and reductions in services.”
In a statement to the Courant Thursday, CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng said CSCU leaders will make the case for more state funding this legislative session.
“The best investment Connecticut can make is in its public colleges and universities. Our students are from Connecticut, stay in Connecticut after they graduate, and serve as the state’s workforce engine,” Cheng said. “State leaders have made it clear that CSCU must prepare for the expiration of one-time federal funding. At the same time, we are working with stakeholders to present an investment case that addresses the needs of our students and state, for consideration by the Governor and General Assembly.”
Still, faculty and students Thursday questioned the financial priorities of CSCU’s leadership.
“System administrators are enjoying six-figure salaries, fancy dinners, and travel expenses. While they continue to prioritize their own comfort, our classrooms are overcrowded, our student services are gutted, and faculty continue to be equipped to do more with less,” Audra King, the chair of Central’s philosophy department, said in a nod to recent reports about Cheng’s alleged “controversial spending.”
Last month, Lamont called on State Comptroller Sean Scanlon to conduct an independent audit after a report from Hearst CT found evidence that Cheng used his CSCU procurement card to charge expensive meals and chauffeured rides.
While the allegations against Cheng undoubtedly hung over the press conference, Freeman described the issue as “a secondary problem.”
“It’s extremely painful to see our system managers mishandling the underfunding that we get, but that’s not the prime problem,” Freeman said. “We do not want that one instance of wasteful spending to detract from the bigger issue, which is the ongoing and continued failure of the governor and our legislature to fund our system.”
Free tuition
In addition to calling for more funding, union leaders also called for an expansion of the state’s Pledge to Advance Connecticut initiative. By extending the free-tuition program from community colleges to the rest of the university system, advocates argued that increased affordability would boost enrollment, graduation rates and post-graduation outcomes for students.
Talia Lopez, a sophomore at CT State Tunxis majoring in paralegal studies, said free-tuition through the PACT program has allowed her to reduce her work hours and focus on school.
“During my first year at Tunxis, I was a full-time student while also working full-time. For much of that year, I was the only person working full-time in my household. I felt responsibility to my family, often exhausting myself to balance everything,” Lopez said. “I plan to transfer to a four-year university, a goal I did not see possible for myself without community college and the support of PACT, but unfortunately, not all of my peers have the same opportunity to receive free tuition.”
While students — many of whom work, are first-generation students, or parents themselves — feel the burden of rising tuition costs, Lopez said they are also feeling the strain of reduced hours for “critical resources like libraries, tutoring centers and academic labs.”
“These cuts disproportionately harm students who are already stretched thin or who are just trying to adjust to rigorous college-level courses,” Lopez said. “These students aren’t just numbers, they’re future teachers, nurses, paralegals and business owners. They’ll become the backbone of Connecticut’s workforce. By cutting resources and raising tuition, we risk their future and mine, and in turn, we risk the future of the state.”
Michael Hinton, an assistant professor of English and theater at CT State Tunxis, said he knows state investment would have “incredible returns” because he has “lived it.” After growing up “surrounded by poverty and addiction” and entering foster care, Hinton said he attended Three Rivers Community College and earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University before completing his master’s at Southern Connecticut State University.
“This public higher education system offered me a way out of the circumstances into which I was born, but most of the services that made a difference for me no longer exist for my students,” Hinton said.
“Every day I see students struggling to access essential services they need to get in education. Class sizes are expanding while class options and formats are being cut back. Disability services (are) overwhelmed. Cafeterias are shutting down. Recruiter positions remain unfilled. … Faculty and staff are frequently doing the work of two, sometimes three full-time positions,” Hinton said. “When it comes to services for students, we’ve already cut down to the bone.”
Freeman said the unions are fighting for the restoration of these programs.
“Each one of these services is a gap that our students fall through,” Freeman said. “It’s unacceptable.”
After the election, Louise Williams, the president of the Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors, stressed that now is the “time to invest in the working people of Connecticut by making education more affordable.”
“(It’s) time to make our schools excellent, so Connecticut becomes an education destination that can attract families from states where public colleges and universities are under attack. This is why it’s essential to expand the PACT program, which provides tuition assistance to our deserving students,” Williams said. “We can do this. We are one of the wealthiest states in the nation with a huge surplus and rainy day fund … Lawmakers must find a way to help all our residents and make Connecticut a beacon of light in what may prove to be very dark times ahead.”
