At Faculty Senate meeting, President Saliman discusses state funding challenges

President Todd Saliman last week told the Faculty Senate he expects the 2025 legislative session to be a challenging one for CU and other institutions of higher education making their annual funding requests.

“I think the budget’s going to be tight,” Saliman said during the Faculty Senate’s Oct. 14 meeting, held via Zoom.

Assuming modest growth, Saliman said, the state might face a budget gap between $500 million and $900 million.

“They’re not going to be able to do everything they’d planned on doing,” he said. “Next year will be a challenging budget year for higher education, and that will trickle down to all of the institutions in the state.”

The outlook actually improved earlier this year, when a bipartisan property tax bill enacted by state leaders led to the removal of two initiatives from this November’s election ballot. Passage of the measures would have meant dramatic cuts to the state budget, inevitably affecting higher education.

Saliman also sounded a note of optimism, stating that “small upticks in the economy could close that ($500 million to $900 million) gap.”

CU leadership already has begun working with other higher education institutions across the state in preparation for the legislative session that begins in January, Saliman said.

“We’re going to be lobbying for an increase,” he said. “It’s our job to tell them what we need.”

The president speaks at the Faculty Senate’s two annual meetings, one in the fall and one in the spring. Following questions and answers with members of the Faculty Senate, Saliman encouraged all to vote in the upcoming election. He also took the opportunity to express his gratitude for faculty.

“Thank you all for doing all you’re doing to deliver on your mission this semester and every semester,” Saliman told the faculty. “What you do is the heart and soul of what we are, so I’m incredibly grateful for your work.”

In other business at last week’s meeting, Faculty Council Chair Alastair Norcross said participation so far has been strong in the vote regarding proposed changes to the Faculty Senate Constitution. A reminder was scheduled to be distributed this week to those eligible faculty members who had yet to vote.

Generally, CU faculty with an appointment of 0.5 FTE or greater are voting members of the Faculty Senate; eligibility is detailed in the current Faculty Senate Constitution. A response rate of 200 voters is necessary for any action to go forward; approval among those voters must reach two-thirds to pass.

The next Faculty Council meeting is scheduled for Nov. 21.