Budget cuts curb university plans for trimester system

By Martha Martinez

Plans to move Fresno State from a two-semester school year to a trimester system have been laid to rest for now, Associate Provost and Chair of Year Round Operations Kenneth Shipley said, because of the impact budget cuts have had on the university.

A considerable number of classes would have been cut in the coming school year had YRO proceeded with their plans for this summer, he said.

Plans to place Fresno State on a trimester system were set to begin this year, but were terminated when the school found out how a three-semester school year would impact course offerings.

“ Based on the budget projections we’ve seen with the governor’s budget, even our best case scenario, we were going to have real difficulties if we went ahead with that,” Shipley said.

Shipley said the reason the financial situation would be complicated is because the school faced more cuts than previously thought and the money would have to be distributed through the entire academic year.

“ I knew that there would be proposed reductions,” Shipley said. “I did not know the extent of the reductions.”

The whole CSU system has leaned toward going year round, Shipley said. Fresno State is one of five schools in the system that hasn’t moved to a year-round system. Plans started about five years ago for Fresno State to make the change.

The department of Extended Education currently manages the summer session. If Fresno State were to become a year round school, it would take over control of the summer session.

For the past three summers, the School of Education had done a pilot run of YRO, Shipley said. This summer, the courses that were going to be offered through the system were moved to Extended Education.

Shipley said Fresno State was no longer able to run the pilot with the School of Education because they don’t have a budget for the courses and won’t have any idea of next year’s budget until the summer.

But students and faculty have better predictability with three terms, he said.

“ They can plan out and know what courses are going to be offered, which is more difficult with Extended Ed,” he said.

When the university runs the summer session, departments control scheduling and course offerings, Shipley said. Individual departments have less control when Extended Education chooses the course offerings for the summer session.

Shipley said when universities go to a year-round system, it is generally advantageous.

“ I don't see students getting hurt by us not being able to do it this year,” he said.

The most important thing is the courses that would have been offered are still going to be offered for the student’s progression, he said.

Shipley said it is difficult to determine if plans to make Fresno State a year round school in the near future will proceed.

“ We don't know what our budget is for next year; let alone the subsequent years.”