In a reformatting of the traditional spring address, Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez said the entire campus community needs to work together to overcome Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts and implement the university’s strategic plan.

Rather than give a long address, Gonzalez said in a 15 minute speech on Thursday that he wanted to share the stage with Provost Joseph Sheley, Faculty Senate President Bruce Bikle, Associated Students Inc. President Christina Romero and Syracuse University professor Vincent Tito, underscoring his goal to work closely with all of the campus’ constituencies.

Economic downturns and budget cuts are cyclical and everyone in the Sac State community needs to work together to get through the next couple of years to get through the current crisis, Gonzalez said.

“We need to continue to plan and behave in such a way that we are going to be able to do what we can to provide the best education we can to our students,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said he viewed the budget crisis as both a challenge and opportunity. He noted, however, that there are three areas where budget cuts will have a negative impact on the university: access to the university, retaining Sac State workforce and bringing in under represented students.

Budget cuts will not affect the building of the Science II facility that is to be completed in 2010. Money is already in place for the project, and is not contingent on Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposed 2008-2009 budget, Gonzalez said.

On a positive note, Gonzalez said, enrollment is up for the spring semester, as well as higher rates of applications and acceptance for next year.

The university is also forming a partnership with the City of Sacramento that will increase the university’s presence in the downtown area in the next few months, Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez also said that the university was able to raise $16.4 million dollars last year with much of that money going into student scholarships.

Sheley spoke on the need to move quickly to implement the strategic plan. Sheley said there’s need to apply a strategically focused plan to improve enrollment, retention and graduation rates most important in this area.

“This is not a guidepost of the strategic plan, but a directive,” Sheley said.

Bikle said in his address that in spite of the strife caused by the faculty contract negotiations and the no-confidence vote on Gonzalez last spring, the faculty and administration have made a lot of strides in working together in the past year.

In order to meet the challenges of the budget the university needs to be focused on the future, Bikle added.

“It is the future that matters,” he said. “As a part of that, we need to foster and develop a community culture based on respect and open discourse.”

In response to the address, Lila Jacobs, California Faculty Association CSUS chapter president said that this may be a moment where the union, administration, CSU Board of Trustees and the Chancellor can find common ground to get more money in the state budget for higher education.

Criminal Justice Professor Cecil Canton said he did not think it was much of an address. “Instead of talking about riding out the storm, we should be discussing what can be done to make sure the budget cuts do not happen,” he said.