Faculty and unions blast Charter Oak scaling report; regents call for further review

At the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) Board of Regents meeting in January 2025, dozens of faculty and union representatives criticized a task force report that recommended scaling Charter Oak State College's online offerings and adding AI-driven student supports, saying the plan risked duplicating existing programs and lowering educational quality.

The criticism came during a public-comment block in which professors from multiple CSU campuses called on the board to reject or substantially revise the Charter Oak Scaling Task Force report. Andrew Smith, a professor of English at Southern Connecticut State University, told the board, "Online courses are not the way to do this," arguing that asynchronous, large-scale online offerings fail to provide the interaction and onboarding many secondary-school students need to succeed in college-level work. "No matter how well an ASYNC class is designed, students might have their personal interactions and development opportunities for faculty and peers that lead to meaningful long term educational value," he said.

The comments reflected common themes: potential program duplication with the four regional comprehensive universities (Eastern, Central, Southern and Western), concern that a primarily online model would harm workforce programs that require hands-on training, and warnings that aggressive online expansion can amount to "predatory inclusion" that disproportionately funnels low-income and Black students into lower-quality online offerings. "The plan will generate revenue while decreasing the value," Christina Barman, a sociology professor at Central Connecticut State University, said. "It turns a public good into a private institution and turns our students into customers."

Why this matters: Regents and system leaders framed the report as a response to a real enrollment trend: many Connecticut residents currently take fully online programs from out-of-state providers. Proponents say a stronger in-state online option could keep tuition dollars and workforce-related credentialing within Connecticut. Opponents say the task force's recommendations, if implemented as drafted, would cannibalize existing in-person programs that already provide strong licensure and employment outcomes.

Task force member and Regent Yang acknowledged the volume of public concern and repeatedly described the report as "the beginning of our process, not the end." "This is us working with you," Regent Yang said, inviting faculty and union leaders to engage as the board and its committees vet any proposals further. He said the report does not constitute a board proposal and that any concrete plan would require committee review and shared governance processes.

Charter Oak State College leadership pointed to institutional outcomes in defense of online offerings. President Klonowski said Charter Oak has a six-year graduation rate of about 56 percent, a retention rate near 74 percent, median graduate earnings reported at about $64,000 and a student loan default rate near 1.2 percent. "Do not generalize distance learning when you're talking about Charter Oak's proposals," he said, asking the board and public to treat Charter Oak as part of the system with its own unionized faculty and established data.

Faculty and union testimony cited multiple specific risks they want the board to address before any action: duplication of accredited teacher-preparation programs; the unsuitability of fully asynchronous models for early-career health and education programs; reliance on AI for tutoring, advising and accessibility services; and long-term effects on regional university enrollments and faculty jobs. Dr. Manoj Mishra, AUP chapter president at Western Connecticut State University, described a prior example in which a duplicated RN-to-BSN program severely reduced enrollment at Western.

Board process and next steps: Regents said the academic affairs and finance committees will review any concrete proposals. Several regents, including Regent Yang and Chair Guay, emphasized that the board will not approve program changes that directly cannibalize existing institution programs without shared-governance review. No vote on the task force recommendations occurred at the meeting.

The public-comment record and written submissions will remain part of the board's materials as committees evaluate next steps. Regents urged faculty and staff to continue engagement through established committee channels.

Ending: The debate highlighted a larger tension for the system: how to respond to students who increasingly choose fully online, out-of-state providers while protecting the quality, accreditation, and in-person experiences that many regents and faculty say are essential for licensure and workforce readiness.