The UC Board of Regents met yesterday in San Francisco to discuss potential increases in tuition for the 2011-2012 academic year following California Governor Jerry Brown’s state budget approval last week.
The Board of Regents will deliberate on several agenda items through Thursday at the UC San Francisco Mission Bay Community Center, including a vote on an additional 9.6 percent tuition raise to offset nearly $140 million of the approved budget’s $650 million state funding reduction. The newest fee hike proposal is in addition to an 8 percent increase the Regents approved last November for Fall 2011.
According to Steve Montiel, media specialist for UC Office of the President, the fee hikes are necessary in lieu of state financing to maintain the university system’s educational standards.
“We wish there was a level of funding from the state that would not make these increases necessary, but unfortunately there has been steady state disinvestment in higher education over the past twenty years,” Montiel said. “Our priorities are quality, and to preserve access to our UC-eligible Californians regardless of their income. It’s a tough situation and no one likes it.”
California 35th District Assemblyman Das Williams said the significant cut in state funding is partly attributable to bipartisan disagreements over Brown’s plan to extend expiring taxes through a statewide vote.
“I am so angry about the state being forced into this situation, I can hardly describe it to you,” Williams said. “The fact that the Republican Party continues to prevent a vote by the people to be able to maintain the existing tax rate; to think that one cent of sales tax is more important than the future of public education in the state makes me very angry and very disappointed.”
Williams said students must reach out to the public for support in increased state financial aid for the UC system.
“What usually happens is that the cuts come and [UC President Mark] Yudof tries to raise fees and then the unions and the student groups direct their energy toward fighting the administration,” Williams said. “What we should do instead is dedicate that energy to bringing the message of higher education to the public to approve a tax for higher education.”
In addition to voting on tuition increases, the Regents will review project reports on the Working Smarter initiative — a program improving the UC payroll system’s administrative efficiency within five years to save $500 million annually — and the annual accountability report of the UC’s use of taxpayer money.
Montiel said the UC system faces a total $1 billion budget shortfall due to unfunded cost increases from factors such as increased financial aid for low-income students and expanded employee retirement plans and health benefits.
“Cost-cutting and revenue-generating measures are a place to fill three quarters of the billion-dollar budget gap and President Yudof is recommending to the Board of Regents that roughly one quarter of the shortfall be offset with tuition and fee increases,” Montiel said.
The 2011-2012 academic year will mark the first time students provide more funding than the state towards the UC system, effectively privatizing the institution.
According to Ahmed Mostafa, Associated Students external vice president of statewide affairs, Regents’ decision to implement greater tuition costs reflects a lack of prioritization toward affordable higher education.
“The problem is that [the Regents] are treating the UC like a business,” Mostafa said. “They are sacrificing access and affordability in exchange for quality. They are treating the UC like it’s a business, not a service to the people of California. Education is no longer a right — they want to make education a privilege.”
For more information about the agenda for the Regent’s upcoming meeting, visit
www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/meetings.html.
Regents treat University of California as a fifedom. University of California faces massive budget shortfalls. It is dismaying Calif. Governor Brown. President Yudof and Board of Regents have, once again, been unable to agree on a package of wage, benefit concessions to close the deficit. Californians face foreclosure, unemployment, depressed wages, loss of retirement, medical, unemployment benefits, higher taxes: UC Board of Regents Regent Lansing, President Yudof need to demonstrated leadership by curbing wages, benefits. As a Californian, I don’t care what others earn at private, public universities. If wages better elsewhere, chancellors, vice chancellors, tenured, non tenured faculty, UCOP… Read more »
I do not know who you are or what you relation to/knowledge of the UC system consists in. I am guessing (and it only is a guess) that, to answer my own questions, “not much”. the way the real world works in academia is that by reducing salaries of professors 15%, you will have a large scale raid on our “best” academics. they are the most mobile and the most attractive to peer institutions. What will largely (though not exclusively — there are a variety of factors that don’t submit readily to simplistic analyses such as the one you offer)… Read more »
Those that are great now were not great when they first started with a university. It is time for the academic community to pitch in with deeds not words to decrease costs and tuition increases. Wage concessions are an answer. If $ keep you at a university leave for the higher paying position. THe institution of higher learning will not skip a heart beat with the departure of tenured faculty. New faculty with great potentials are waiting to replace tenured faculty. An example of tenured senior management at the University of California Berkeley. Until action is applied by the University… Read more »
Quotes from M. Moravec: “Those that are great now were not great when they first started with a university.” And you know this to be generally true in what way? You have done the research? You are able to state that there are no super star graduates students (some, of course, whom don’t pan out — but if you were to bet, where would you place you $$?). And if the UC did not hire wisely, why do we rank so much higher nationally and internationally than 97%+ of our 300-400 peer institutions? “It is time for the academic community… Read more »
You wax with words….slick, smooth, and detailed… and you know how to apply the knife to those who do not agree your world…as if talking down to a young student who has yet to earn experience and create perspectives and wisdom. U know their are perspectives and conclusions that do not align with the cobbled structure of your neat perspectives. I o u nothing. I do not have to prove. I do not have to justify myself. I am not your naieve student. I have a long internal history with UC. I know it well! Californians face foreclosure, unemployment, depressed… Read more »
Just one last thought and then I am out on this. The cost of living in CA is high. Our current salaries do not match our peer institutions (either in real dollars or in dollars adjusted for living expenses of the CA market). If, as you so thoughtfully propose, lowering the faculty salaries by 15% is a solution, then you are seriously out of the academic loop (despite your 35 years of consulting [whatever]). The strong faculty (both old AND young) will get good offers from strong institutions that would love to raid the UC. And, as for your silly… Read more »
Arrogance has no space for “Let There be light” UC Berkeley’s Financial Adversity Spawns Positive Innovation, Huge Mistakes. (The author who has 35 years’ consulting experience, has taught at University of California Berkeley, where he was able to observe the culture & the way senior management work) University of California Berkeley (Cal) Chancellor’s huge mistakes: recruits (using California tax $) out of state $50,000 tuition students that displace qualified Californians from public university; spends $7,000,000 + for consultants to do his & many vice chancellors jobs (prominent East Coast university accomplishing same at 0 cost); pays ex Michigan governor $300,000… Read more »
OK. Last time. The art of the sleight of hand: You claim (in repeated posts — I checked, you copy and paste the same disclaimer — pathetic [how’s that for “waxing with words”?] you have 35 years of UC relevant experience and so know its culture and dirty laundry. I call BS. If you were a “real” part of the UC you wouldn’t shade it with obscure comments like “the author [thanks for the 3rd person Mr. Henderson — inside baseball joke] has taught at UCB”. When I call you to explain (I’m guessing it was an extension course that… Read more »
No it was not extension courses…it was UC graduate courses…now you can call me more and new names…go ahead, give me what you got! Californians suffer from greatest deficit of modern times. UC wages must reflect California’s ability to pay, not what others are paid. Wage concessions for UC President, Faculty, Chancellors, Vice Chancellors, UCOP: No furloughs 18 percent reduction in UCOP salaries & $50 million cut. 18 percent prune of campus chancellors’, vice chancellors’ salaries. 15 percent trim of tenured faculty salaries, increased teaching load 10 percent decrease in non-tenured faculty salaries, as well as increase research, teaching load… Read more »
Way to not answer the question. You are great at avoiding the simple answer. here, let me show you how: A: I work (or teach) at UDSB B: What do you do there? A: I am an associate professor of Geology. B: OK, thanks. What do I get from you? A: I taught at UCB so I have specialinsight into how the system works B: In what capacity did you teach there? A: I don’t have to tell you B: It’s a simple question and reasonable for a request to back up a claim you have made on at least… Read more »
Here you go again…shoot the messanger and kill the message…I do not intend to put a target on my back
Seek and you shall find…but not in the circles you keep
Let there be light
God, I reread you last reply and realized how much I had missed. You have almost no idea of what you are talking about. Replacing profs with more talented ones. And this is done how? Do you not understand what I wrote of the difficulties? It is likely (despite your repeated claims to the contrary) that you have not a clue re academia and how it works. Your own comments are internally incoherent and contradictory. If this was a submitted argument/thesis, you would not do well. Stick to what you know (whatever the hell that might be). You know shit… Read more »
Sticks and stones will break my bones but words from arrogance never have and will hurt me. Give it your best shot! Calling me more names will make you right! Go ahead and call me names…it is what you do best… there are many people who have insights into UC…u my friend can’t see beyond the end of your nose. Go ahead do what you do best when people do not agree your cobbled view: call them names! Go ahead do it again. Vent your frustration on others when you do not agree their conclusions. UC Berkeley–one of the top… Read more »
Try to get this straight. Try real hard. You made some initial claims. I countered them with facts I have acquired (what is this “cobbled” bull shit?) over 22 years at UCSB and part of CAP (which helps determine, among other things, all hires on campus). You never responded to my arguments (I responded to yours, by the way), so who exactly is the one failing to confront positions that don’t agree with their own (hint — not me). Compounding matters, you make a direct claim, refuse to back it up (arguing to the effect “I don’t gotta do it… Read more »
I’m sorry. Once I get going it is hard to stop. In the interest of civility, I will make this the last you will hear from this end (at least try real hard to do so). Comments about replacement of faculty sans loss of quality simply ignore the reality of the academic market. I spelled it out in brief, but you ignored it and continued with the proposal to wit our top folk can be replaced easily with folk as good or better. In addition to the difficulties of so doing (which I noted), I can tell you that your… Read more »
Thank-you for reading my comments. Look and you’ll find that prior to teaching the graduate UC courses I provided free seminars to graduate students. Students came in on the weekends to attend the free seminars thqt went on for several weeks The answer to the whole picure is not possible for California during this the greatest recession in modern times. Wage concession by University of California yield partial answers. Wage concessions demonstrate committed to saving precious UC. There are people who do not draw the same conclusions from having been on the inside of UC. Remove yourself from the world… Read more »
I do believe all the ideas you’ve introduced on your post. They’re really convincing and will certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are very short for newbies. May you please prolong them a little from next time? Thank you for the post.