Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gave all California State University students a “big Christmas present” this year, according to CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed.

Reed praised the governor’s decision to buy out the proposed 8 percent fee increase for this year, which amounts to about $54 million, or $200 per student.

“The (higher education) compact is working,” said Reed via telephone conference with various CSU students.

Reed said the compact provided $215 million in new revenue for all CSUs and $2.8 billion from the General Fund this year. The new revenue in the CSU system will allow each CSU to bring in about 10,000 more students than previously allotted.

According to Ellen Griffin, director of public affairs and publications, SF State enrolled 28,945 new students this semester. The university is anticipating an enrollment of about 29,500 new students next semester.

For SF State, the operating budget was increased by nearly $16.9 million, allowing the university to add 133 sections of lecture and lab classes in the fall semester, and another 132 class sections this spring. Students who have been concerned in the past about program cuts from budget deficits won’t have to worry this year, according to Griffin.

“Colleges and departments are not being asked to make programmatic cuts, as occurred in 2004,” Griffin wrote via e-mail. “Given the current budget, there is no intention to force cuts for university-wide budgetary reasons, but discontinuances and new programs can and may occur as part of the cyclical academic review process.”

Reed said the governor recognized the importance of CSUs offering masters’ degrees, and there will also be more funding for science and technology major programs and nursing.

“I am very optimistic about the budget,” said Reed.