New Haven Register FORUM

October 17, 2007

Investing in SCSU infrastructure good for state

by John Soto

For the last seven years, I have been fortunate to witness a physical transformation taking place at Southern Connecticut State University. Thanks to an injection of $260 million from the state, a new student center, a modernized academic building and an addition that will double the size of the library are some of the projects changing the campus for the better.

Yet, as this construction program nears its end, much remains to be done. A number of other key buildings at Southern are dilapidated after years of deferred maintenance.

The School of Business, for example, is in Seabury Hall, a decaying former dormitory that has been scheduled for demolition since 2001. Southern’s excellent fine arts programs are squeezed into Earl Hall, a 1956 building that is increasingly showing signs of wear. Several temporary buildings, constructed in the late 1970s, have far exceeded their 10- to 12-year life expectancy and are “failing rapidly with little ability to repair,” according to a recent report.

Southern and its sister universities are seeking to address these issues and continue to build campuses that meet the educational needs of the 21st century under a 10-year, $1 billion capital investment plan first aired by Southern President Cheryl Norton and her Connecticut State University System colleagues at legislative public hearings in February.

For Southern, the plan would include a new fine arts center and a science center that would produce more graduates in state-identified work force growth areas such as nanotechnology, biochemistry and microbiology. It would also enhance efforts to build a safe, healthy environment for students and staff, with projects addressing fire, health, safety and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, along with other infrastructure improvements such as energy conservation.

There’s no doubt that the investment by taxpayers in the 10-year CSUS 2020 plan would pay dividends right here. That’s because the students who attend the four CSUS universities come from every one of Connecticut’s 169 towns and cities and make up 93 percent of the student body. Statistics show that 86 percent of the graduates of the four universities remain in state after completing their higher education.
Surely, it is not only in their interest but in the state’s interest to provide them with the facilities they need to fully prepare for their place in our state’s work force. State Department of Labor statistics show that by 2012 more than half of the new jobs statewide will require significant postsecondary education, at least.

The CSUS 2020 plan is separate from the massive injection of state bond money that has restored and revitalized the infrastructure at the University of Connecticut. In response to the series of construction issues that arose at UConn, the CSCU plan provides for more coordinated management over the inspections of all buildings. Fiscally sound as well as comprehensive, it allows for additional flexibility in the allocation of funds; meaning that major construction projects can be completed speedily and the governor would have the final say on the release of funding, should the state’s fiscal situation demand delay at any time during the 10-year program.

 Without a doubt, $1 billion is serious money. But, in this case, it responds to a serious situation, catching up on unmet needs and securing a foundation for the future. Our students and our state await action at the Capitol to determine the direction that our lawmakers will pursue.

Connecticut has long been the land of Yankee ingenuity. If we do not make sound decisions today to invest in our higher education system, we risk turning that historic description into little more than an outdated and outmoded phrase.

John Soto is a board member of the SCSU Foundation and president and chief executive officer of Space-Craft Manufacturing, 300 East St., New Haven 06511.

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