Greetings,

Success! $15.4 million has been restored to Rutgers University in Governor Corzine’s revised budget proposal which was released on Tuesday. This amounts to a complete restoration in operating aid. Our advocacy efforts have been effective and we thank you for your effort and support.

This week’s restoration reflects the governor’s attempt to allocate the federal stimulus money so that it meets the Department of Education’s guidelines for higher education.

Since the Governor’s budget address on March 10, the unions' leadership and our members have engaged the Governor’s Office and state legislators to explain the inclusion of higher education in the federal stimulus package and the requirement to apply recovery funds to avoid cuts, layoffs and to mitigate the need for tuition increases. Thousands of faculty, staff, students and their families have answered our call to write the Governor and legislative leadership to urge greater state investment in Rutgers. We thank all of you for taking action. 

From President McCormick’s emails to meetings and memos from various deans, there have been hasty staff layoffs, proposed increases to faculty teaching loads and elimination of part-time lecturer positions. This distraction by the central administration could have seriously impacted our ability to mobilize the Rutgers community to lobby Trenton to restore the cuts.

It is now important to turn our attention to the much-needed discussion of the appropriate priorities for the Rutgers University budget. As we have said all along, it is not time to panic and it is counter productive to set artificial deadlines for budget cuts—at any level. The unions have offered an interim salary delay so that layoffs and other such action is not necessary before September 1.  As Tuesday’s state restoration of $15.4 million demonstrates, we must continue to seek rational solutions. Greater advocacy in Trenton and budget transparency on campus are critical to protecting our core mission.

Sincerely,

Lisa C. Klein
President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT

Mike Slott
President, Rutgers PTLFC-AAUP-AFT

Lucye Millerand
President, URA-AFT