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Friday, June 29, 2012

Yudof on Tuition Freeze: We will find a way


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!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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!

Birgeneau ($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.