CSU-AAUP

CCSU, Marcus White 305, 307 & 310

New Britain, CT06050

860-832-3790 860-832-3794 Fax

Talking Points for Faculty/Staff

The general theme of our Legislative Breakfast is that a strong and affordable public higher education system is crucial during a bad economy and there must be a skilled workforce when the economy recovers.

The talking points below fit into this overarching theme. Please choose only a few to share with legislators. The best way to lobby is to humanize these facts. Share personal stories that illustrate these points.

  1. Connecticut has established four goals in higher education:
  • Keeping Connecticut students in state for higher education to avoid further population loss.
  • Addressing critical needs areas; nursing, engineering, technology, nanotechnology, the sciences and special education.
  • Achieving higher graduation rates and retention
  • Seamless articulation between public colleges and universities.

Each of these problems existed before the current economic downturn and will still be with us when the economy improves.

  1. State demographics dictate that a majority of the workforce of the future will come from urban, first generation students, especially minorities. Higher education will be essential for their successful integration into the state’s economic life (New England 2020).
  1. The CT Labor Department estimated in 2008 that 60% of the 20 fastest-growing occupations in the state will require, at minimum, a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
  1. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005-2007 American Community Survey high school graduates in Connecticut earn an average of $32,029 while individuals with a bachelor’s degree earn an average of $54,154 and those with a graduate or professional degree earn an average of $70,808. In addition, a June 2008 joint CT Labor & Higher Education report found that public college graduates in the state more than doubled their income potential, earning an average of $38,400 a year just nine months after graduation.
  1. The four campuses of the CSU System currently have record enrollments and applications for admission are at an all time high.
  1. In the past decade, Connecticut has made a huge investment in higher education, with UCONN2000, UCONN 21st Century and CSU2020. If funds are cut now, these investments will be wasted.
  1. Over a lifetime, a Connecticut public university graduate will payback in state income tax far more than the value of the state’s contribution to his/her education.
  1. Connecticut is in economic competition with every other state; post-recession prosperity will go to states with the best trained workforces.
  1. Critics ask whether Connecticut will ever return to its past of affluence and high per capita income given the decline of the financial sector in NYC. Future workers must be trained in emerging fields of economic growth.