Transform CSCU 2020 Funding Passes Committee on Bipartisan Vote
The BOR today applauds the bipartisan Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee passage of SB 30 – An Act Concerning the Board of Regents for Higher Education Infrastructure Act.
The Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR) today applauds the bipartisan Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee passage of SB 30 – An Act Concerning the Board of Regents for Higher Education Infrastructure Act. This investment in the BOR’s 17 Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) will provide the infrastructure needed to prepare Connecticut’s present and future workforce and have a positive impact on the state’s economic development efforts.
The bill calls for $83.5 million in new funding for infrastructure improvements throughout the CSCU system, and is part of the statutory framework for Transform CSCU 2020, a comprehensive plan for delivering affordable and accessible higher education to Connecticut’s students. The funding is for the construction of enhanced technology-smart classrooms, academic and system-wide facilities master planning, student-centered IT upgrades, and the expansion of Asnuntuck Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing Center in Enfield.
“My thanks to Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Co-Chairs Senator John Fonfara and Representative Patricia Widlitz, as well as Bonding Subcommittee Chairs Representative Betty Boukus, Senator Andrea Stillman and the legislators who worked so hard to get this bill passed,” said BOR President Gregory Gray. “In doing so, this investment will allow the BOR to make real progress in technology upgrades leading to a better student experience and higher completion rates.”
Senate Bill 30 includes funding for improving and increasing smart classroom technology across the 17 CSCU institutions; the initial funding to overhaul, update and construct one unified IT system; funding for system-wide academic and facilities master planning that highlights areas of academic growth at the community colleges, strengthens signature university programs, and offers needed programs throughout the system. SB 30, together with $65 million in proposed new operating funding, make up the first phase of Transform CSCU 2020.