Dear Colleagues,

At the Budget Town Hall last month, Vice President for Administration and Finance and CFO Charlie Faas shared a presentation which stated that every division needed to make a 6% budget cut for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to balance the university’s structural budget deficit.

Your IT leadership team and I take this situation very seriously. We acknowledge that this is a substantive cut, in addition to cuts every division has made over the past few years. President Teniente-Matson has emphasized that we are not just trying to balance our budget but build a financially sustainable budget model.

Despite these financial difficulties, everyone on the IT team continues to work hard and passionately to support the CSU, the university, our students, and the campus community. I thank you for your dedication to SJSU IT’s customers and your commitment to elevating the SJSU community through technology.

We have accomplished many great things together, and with some adjustments, we can do even more as a team to support this brilliant and innovative institution.  I am looking at this latest round of budget cuts as an exciting opportunity for us as a division.

Let me explain. Over the past few months, your leadership team and I have been examining SJSU IT’s cost structure to tighten our belts and enhance operational efficiency. In the process, we have prioritized a key component — our team.

After obtaining input from your leadership team and consulting with the SJSU IT Peer Consultation Group to ensure staff feedback remains represented in our decision-making process, we made the tough decision to eliminate another 15 vacant staff and MPP positions, a total of 25 positions this fiscal year. This effort will significantly help reduce the university’s budget deficit in FY 24-25, and, at the same time, it will open the door to growth opportunities for our existing employees. We are expanding our professional development initiatives, external training, and cross-pollination programs to help you grow and continue to succeed in SJSU IT. In the next few weeks, we will share the IT skills the university ultimately needs to achieve its strategy and vision, and we will work collaboratively with you to help you leverage or develop those needed skills.

Additionally, we are committed to implementing new technology solutions to improve productivity, communication, and collaboration, which will help students succeed while increasing employee experience.

As we navigate this period of uncertainty and transition to a new operating structure that enables SJSU’s growth and longevity, it is very important that you feel supported and appreciated. Please talk to your manager or me to share your thoughts, ask questions, and offer suggestions. I will continue to communicate with you as we learn more. I am also available during my weekly open office hours (Thursdays from 2–4 p.m.). Please feel free to reach out to Lin (Lin.Rui@sjsu.edu) to schedule a time.

Thank you for your collaborative and constructive comments. I remain gratified by the immense loyalty and dedication of so many in our division. I am confident that we will emerge from this process a stronger and more efficient team.

Sincerely,
Bob-