County supervisors are urging California State University officials to reconsider the budget cuts announced at Sonoma State last month, citing concerns that slashing many of the campus’ academic departments and eliminating its NCAA athletics will hurt the larger community.
In a letter (PDF) that was issued to the CSU chancellor and board of trustees on Tuesday, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voiced its opposition and asked that the school take into consideration the possible far-reaching consequences associated with the proposed cuts, which the board said would extend beyond students, coaches and instructors.
“These cuts seem destined to exacerbate enrollment’s downward spiral, with no indication of how that will be arrested and reversed,” the letter written by Supervisor Lynda Hopkins reads. “Budget cuts that result in fewer course offerings, reduced faculty support and declining enrollment will not only diminish the quality of education but will also weaken the local talent pool.”