HARTFORD — State education officials said a plan to consolidate Connecticut’s 12 community colleges would mean the loss of almost 200 jobs and save about $28 million.
The Hartford Courant reports that Mark Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State Colleges and University system, said a merger would not result in the loss of faculty positions or any positions that deal directly with students. The cuts would come in areas that do not affect students directly, including administrative services, human resources, and information technology.
The plan is part of a strategy designed to address the system’s financial problems created in part by the state’s poor financial outlook and cutbacks to higher education funding.
The system’s chief financial officer says without taking steps, tuition would double and the system would drain its reserves over five years.
