This September, Connecticut State Comptroller Sean Scanlon revealed that amid the University of Connecticut budget crisis, the state will have a $113.2 million General Fund surplus, according to reporting from The Daily Campus. Despite this surplus and the fact that Connecticut has had a surplus for the past six years, there has been no indication that Connecticut’s public higher education system will benefit. Instead, the Office of the State Comptroller announced that part of the surplus would go toward paying down pension debt while UConn is left struggling to finance its programs.
Last academic year, in February, it was announced that due to a reduction in funds from the state government, UConn would be entering fiscal year 2025 with a budget deficit of $70 million, according to The Daily Campus. The resulting budget cuts reduce funding to UConn’s academic schools and colleges as well as non-academic programs by 15 percent, raising concerns about layoffs, tuition increases, the potential loss of programs and a decrease in the value of a UConn education. Despite assurance from UConn President Radenka Maric that layoffs will be avoided and tuition will not see a dramatic increase, UConn’s athletic programs, health center and academic programs face increasing pressures to increase revenues and cut costs.
According to reporting by the CT Mirror, after pleas from higher education leadership, $57.7 million and $22.3 million was distributed to UConn and UConn Health through the American Rescue Plan Act, respectively. Though this temporarily relieved some of the pressure on UConn, government officials warn that all federal ARPA dollars must be allocated by this December, and after that there will be no more relief from this package as it was meant to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and will expire.
UConn’s budget is in a critical state, and aside from temporary relief and warnings of what’s to come, the state government has done little to help. The Editorial Board has previously explored the root of the funding problem, citing the “fiscal guardrails” that prioritize public pension financing and lock up dollars that could otherwise be used to improve higher education along with a slew of critical social welfare programs like healthcare and housing.
In the aftermath of the surplus announcement with no promise of additional funding, the board of trustees met to discuss UConn’s housing crisis and approve appropriation requests to the State of Connecticut for additional funds in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. UConn’s chief financial officer Jeffery Geoghegan expressed concern that UConn’s current housing is over capacity and requires upgrades.
If Connecticut wishes to maintain the integrity of its higher education system and “expand the enrollment of the University of Connecticut” as it stated in its open letter, it must break down the fiscal guardrails preventing surplus dollars from going to higher education. UConn contributes greatly to the state’s economy and boasts the achievement of being a top public university. Should the state wish for this to continue, UConn needs more support.