In response to Gov. Brown's proposed budget, released today (Jan. 10), UC President Yudof issued an open letter to California.

In the letter, Yudof writes, "Undeniably, the governor's hand has been forced. He has produced, as he calls it, a tough budget for tough times, and the university will stand up and do all it can to help the state through what is a fiscal, structural and political crisis. There can be no business as usual.

"To that end, I will be giving each of the system's 10 chancellors specific budget reduction targets and asking them to develop and report back to me within six weeks their plans for meeting them. We will do the same at the system's central office. I then will go to our governing Board of Regents with a detailed scenario of what steps would be required to absorb a $500 million reduction — a reduction that will take the state's annual per student contribution to $7,210, compared to the $7,930 to be paid by students and their families."

Yudof's letter is posted at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/24763. UC also issued a news release about the proposed budget cuts for higher education, which is posted at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/24764.

This morning the California Legislature approved the 2010-11 budget which includes $3 billion for UC.  It is awaiting the governor's signature.

Here is the link from the UC Office of the President Integrated Communications with the story:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/24256

The link also includes a statement from the UC vice-president of budget.

We're grateful that the latest budget proposal offered by the Democratic leadership of the Assembly and Senate keeps funding of higher education exactly the same as what Gov. Schwarzenegger is proposing. While we recognize that balancing the state budget is extremely challenging, it's heartening that funding of higher education continues to be a high priority for legislators as well as the governor. We strongly support efforts to increase federal funds coming to California, and stand ready to assist state policymakers in any way we can.

This budget proposal demonstrates the Legislature's continuing commitment to invest in higher education that is critical to the long-term economic recovery of California and future fiscal stability of the state. The proposed budget recommendations support the restoration of $305 million for core academic instruction and $51.3 million to support access for more than 5,000 students. The funding proposed in this plan would protect more than 4,000 faculty and staff jobs, reduce the potential for significant additional increases in student fees and protect UC's ability to enroll first-time freshmen and serve more community college students. In addition, the budget recommendations would include $355 million for capital construction projects that will create more than 3,300 jobs, consistent with the governor's and legislature's intent of supporting a 2010 state budget that helps drive job creation and stimulate the economy.

It's vitally important to the economic health of the state that, even in a tough fiscal environment, Democratic and Republican legislators do all they can to maintain the quality and accessibility of all three segments of higher education. The long-term future of California depends on a robust public higher education system that creates jobs, educational opportunity and innovation. For the short term, we very much desire expedited resolution of the budget, especially with the 2010-11 academic year beginning in two weeks at our UC Berkeley and UC Merced campuses and next month at our other eight campuses.

Statement from UC Vice President for Budget Patrick Lenz on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's May revision to the state budget:

We are extremely grateful that the governor has made higher education a top priority in his proposed budget. The restoration in funding for the University of California will help us maintain access and protect financial aid for thousands of young Californians who look to our campuses as portals of opportunity. We especially applaud the governor's decision to fully fund Cal Grants, which are critical to the future of so many low- and middle- income students across the state.

The governor's budget recommendations for UC — which include the restoration of $305 million to the UC budget, $51.3 million to support student access, and $355 million for capital facility construction — are consistent with his and the Legislature's objective to create new jobs with limited state resources.

This budget will also assist UC in protecting the jobs of current employees and to add more than 3,300 private sector jobs associated with the building and construction detailed in the capital facilities funding proposal.

We appreciate the difficult decisions that face Sacramento in this fiscal crisis. We hope that as the budget process unfolds this summer, the Legislature will support the governor's proposed funding for all three segments of public higher education: Investing in higher education is the key to California's economic recovery and long-term health.