Protect Higher Ed in Connecticut

Higher education is a public good and a foundation of our democracy. Public colleges and universities foster learning, research and innovation, and are engines of opportunity for students, workers, and communities. It’s the responsibility of a state’s elected leaders to protect and develop these institutions within their state, so it’s dismaying to see leaders in Connecticut bent on slashing public higher education instead.

After years of cuts to academic budgets at the state’s flagship, the University of Connecticut, dozens of majors and scores of graduate programs are now on the chopping block. According to news reports, majors including philosophy; women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; and animal science could be discontinued, as could all but one program within the university’s Literatures, Cultures, and Languages Department. And this is just the beginning in what could be a series of cuts unless the Connecticut legislature provides a stable funding source for the state’s system of higher education. Without adequate funding, Connecticut students will face larger class sizes, higher tuition, and fewer class offerings. They deserve better.

We urge the state of Connecticut to fully fund its entire education system, and stand in solidarity with our UConn AAUP chapter and the students, staff, and workers across UConn as they fight this attack on the common good.