New students who want to attend California State University, Fresno in the fall have until February 1 to apply. After that, enrollment will be closed to first-time freshmen and some transfers under a systemwide mandate imposed by Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the 23-campus California State University.

The Feb. 1 deadline is being enforced in response to a $312.9 million cut to the CSU budget proposed by Gov. Schwarzenegger last week. The proposed budget fails to fund access for 10,000 CSU students and $36 million in mandatory costs, including employee health benefits and compensation agreements for CSU faculty and staff, Reed said.

Approximately 600 potential Fresno State students could be affected next fall, said Bernie Vinovrksi, associate vice president of enrollment services.

“Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate the anticipated enrollment growth” if the proposed cut becomes reality, Vinovrksi said.

The chancellor’s mandate will not affect enrollment directly for the spring semester that begins at Fresno State today (Jan. 15). Spring 2007 enrollment is projected at 20,667, one of Fresno State’s highest spring enrollments.

Currently enrolled students and those already admitted for next year will not be affected and priority will be given to ensuring that they get the classes they need.

“This action to curtail enrollment in light of the budget problem helps ensure that students will not lose classes they need,” Vinovrski said.

Last week, Fresno State President John D. Welty met with other CSU presidents and Reed to learn how the governor’s proposal would affect higher education.

Welty said after the meeting that Fresno State would be forced “to curtail our enrollment and take several steps to reduce our expenditures.”

“It is most unfortunate that this will result in our preparing fewer nurses, teachers, engineers and other key people who are desperately needed in Central California,” said Welty. “I will be working with our campus leadership in the next few days to determine the actions we will need to take to address this difficult situation.”

Vinovrksi said Fresno State will follow the proposed CSU management action plan:

1. Campuses must cease accepting admission applications for fall 2008 from first-time freshmen no later than Feb. 1.

2. Campuses are no longer permitted to admit or enroll individuals who are lower-division transfer applicants (except for nursing and engineering), upper-division transfer applicants not fully eligible for admission, applicants seeking a second baccalaureate degree and unclassified postbaccalaureate applicants

3. Local area applicants must be accorded the highest priority for admission to unimpacted admissions categories and other applicants may be “wait-listed” pending determination of enrollment capacity and/or meeting admissions requirements.

4.Unimpacted upper-division transfer admission should remain open until a campus achieves its enrollment target. To be fully eligible for admission as an upper-division transfer student, applicants must meet the following minimum admission requirements:

Complete 60 or more transferable semester units with an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better in all transferable units attempted;
Be in good standing at the last college or university attended;
Complete at least 30 semester units or general education courses, graded C or better in each course, including the following four courses (the Golden 4): one course each in written communications, oral communications, critical thinking and mathematics/quantitative reasoning.

Read the CSU press release at
https://www.fresnostatenews.com/2008/01/Budget.htm.