Statement on UC
funding in budget legislation signed by Gov. Brown
by Mark G. Yudof on Thursday, June 28, 2012
The budget legislation signed by the Governor is a
significant step toward bringing stability to public higher education funding
in California. Based on the incentives in this budget package, I intend to
recommend to the Board of Regents that our current tuition levels remain in
place for the upcoming year. As always, it is up to the regents to decide the matter.
We would have
preferred that state funds for a tuition buy-out begin with the coming budget
year of 2012-13 rather than the following year. We will have to institute some
extraordinary, one-time-only measures to balance our budget without a fee increase
in the bridging year. Nonetheless, we
are determined to find a way to get it done. All of this, of course, is
contingent on the passage of the Governor’s temporary tax revenue measure this
fall.
Gov. Brown and the
legislature deserve credit for protecting the UC base budget, given the extreme
challenges they faced in this difficult fiscal year. UC students, faculty,
staff, alumni and regents played a critical role in persuading the state’s
political leadership that funding public higher education is the best
investment the state can make in its future. They demonstrated once again what
can be achieved when all of us work together, including our many California
State University and California Community College colleagues who, along with
CSU and CCC students, joined with UC to protect the funding for the Cal Grants
program. Funding this key source of student financial support will help keep
our doors wide open to all deserving applicants, regardless of their family
income.
The final 2012-13
state general fund budget of $2.37 billion represents a 4.2 percent increase
over 2011-12. It is also worth noting that the budget includes $90 million to
resume state contributions to the UC retirement plan for the first time in more
than 20 years. Two years ago, the University put into place aggressive measures
for the plan to reach fiscal sustainability, and this state contribution will
help make that happen.
Find a way? You can do it, Mark!
Extreme disparities in higher education make it impossible to keep the promise of equality of opportunity. University access, affordability is farther and farther out of reach. UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau, Provost Breslauer leave an indelible mark on access and affordability. Self absorbed Chancellor and Provost are outspoken for public Cal. ‘charging Californians much higher’ tuition. Number 1 ranked Harvard is now less costly. Cal. tuition is rising faster than costs at other universities. The ‘charge Californians higher’ tuition makes Cal. the most expensive public university!
ReplyDeleteBirgeneau ($450,000 salary) Breslauer ($306,000 salary) like to blame the politicians, since they stopped giving them every dollar expected. The ‘charge Californians more’ tuition skyrocketed fees by an average 14% per year from 2006 to 2011-12 academic years. If Birgeneau Breslauer had allowed fees to rise at the same rate of inflation over the past 10 years they would still be in reach of most middle income students. Chancellor Provost increased disparities in higher education defeat the promise of equality of opportunity. An unacceptable legacy for students, parents, politicians!
Additional funding should sunset. The economic downturn is devastating California. Simply asking Californians for more money to fund inept Cal. leadership, old expensive higher education models and support excessive salaries, burdensome bonuses, and expensive pensions is not the answer.
UC Berkeley is to maximize access to the widest number of Californians at a reasonable cost: mission of diversity and equality of opportunity. Birgeneau’s Breslauer’s ‘charge Californians higher’ tuition denies middle income Californians the transformative value of Cal’s higher education.
Opinions? UC Board of Regents marsha.kelman@ucop.edu Calif. State Senators, Assembly members.