STACY FACES A NEW SET OF BUDGET WOES

Budget cuts are nothing new to Bill Stacy. As president of Southeast Missouri State University for 10 years, Stacy had to deal with a number of state funding cuts.

Now, as president of the emerging California State University at San Marcos near San Diego, Stacy is once again fighting the budget battle.

"It's deja vu all over again," said Stacy, who was in Cape Girardeau Tuesday to visit with family and friends.

In an interview at the Southeast Missourian office, Stacy discussed the budget situation in California and the growth of the San Marcos campus.

Stacy has served as founding president of the state university since June 1989.

California's state budget is considerably bigger than Missouri's, and so is its financial woes.

"Of course, I'm still looking at California through a visitor's eyes," said Stacy. "And I am stunned by numbers, the population and the size of the budget. Of course, the budget deficit is also a stunning thing for me."

The state of California is faced with a $14.5 billion budget deficit out of a $55 billion budget. The deficit is larger than Missouri's state budget.

To balance the budget, state officials are talking about the biggest tax increase in state history, as well as spending cuts, Stacy said. California Gov. Pete Wilson has proposed $7 billion in tax increases.

The budget woes have resulted in 10 to 12 percent spending cuts for the state's universities.

"The good news for our little infant campus is that they didn't cut us back from the 1990-91 level," said Stacy. The university's budget was to have risen from $9 million to $15 million. But it now appears the campus budget will be cut by about 10 percent, leaving it with state funding of about $13.5 million for the 1991-92 fiscal year.

Stacy said the budget woes being faced in California and Missouri mirror the financial problems being experienced in states all across the nation.

State funding cuts have been felt at public colleges and universities nationwide, he said.

Stacy doesn't view budget cuts as a lack of public commitment to higher education.

"I think what the nation's governors and legislators and simply citizens of the states are saying is, `Look, there is not enough money.'"

States have to finance programs and services to meet many needs besides education. "We've got to take care of illnesses, mental concerns, food and basic shelter for families."

Said Stacy, "I think citizens look at it and say,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ `This is just one of those hard choices: do I feed a hungry child or do I put more books in the library?'"

Most people, he said, would choose to feed the hungry child.

"I think it is a purely economic cycle," he pointed out.

"Nationally, I would say that we have to get a better grasp on the nation's fiscal policies in Washington.

"Washington has shifted to states the burden of providing services without sending them the check to pay for it," said Stacy.

"I think the (federal) deficit that we suffer is real and it cripples our economy. It is a liability. I think we have to come to grips with fiscal realities, not only in Jefferson City and Sacramento, but first of all in Washington."

As president of California State University at San Marcos, Stacy is presiding over a developing campus.

The university has 58 full-time faculty members and another 50 are expected to be hired next year, he said.

The university currently doesn't field any sports teams. "That's on our list to do after moving to the campus in 1992-93," said Stacy.

Since moving to California, Stacy has become good friends with San Francisco Giants catcher Terry Kennedy, who lives in the San Diego area and previously played for the Padres.

"He's a great guy and absolutely wonderful friend. I hope to get him as our first athletic coach to start our baseball program (when he retires from playing ball)," said Stacy.

The new university recently completed its first year of classes. About 650 students were enrolled in classes this first year. About 1,200 students are enrolled for the coming fall semester.

Stacy said enrollment is projected to double every year at the school for the immediate future.

"It's a school that demand built," he pointed out. "We had to close enrollment and admissions in the first year and we have had to close enrollments and admissions for next fall.

"There is enormous enrollment pressure throughout all of California on all of the campuses," said Stacy.

San Diego State, for example, has a full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment of 27,000, which is 2,000 more than the campus was designed to accommodate.

Stacy said the San Marcos campus is expected to have an FTE enrollment of 25,000 within 15 years.

A lot depends on how quickly buildings can be built. "If you can't build the buildings fast enough, you can't build enrollment," he said.

Currently, about $100 million is being spent on construction of seven buildings for the emerging campus. The buildings are scheduled to be completed by August 1992.

A $150 million second phase of campus construction is dependent upon funding through a $1 billion state bond issue. But the state's budget woes may put a hold on such funding for a while, said Stacy.

For now, the developing university is operating out of temporary quarters in five buildings in a business park.

"We have pieces of five buildings. We've got maybe seven-eighths of one building, but in the front of it is an appliance store," said Stacy.

The university also shares building space with a furniture store and a deli. There are a number of law offices in the business park as well.

"It's nice," said Stacy, although he added that the temporary quarters don't provide a typical academic setting. "It's like going to work in a regular office building.

"It has no pillars or high ceilings or elevated chairs. It's just a business office setting."