Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to share some exciting news. The California Rice Research Board has agreed to fund a UC Cooperative Extension specialist position for six years.

This is a pioneering step in a new direction for funding public research. This innovative partnership between the agricultural community and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources recognizes the immediate importance of rice research and the need for this new funding model. I want to thank the California Rice Research Board for being the first.

The $800 million rice industry makes California the nation’s second largest rice producer. UC conducts research on weed control, pest management and variety testing for rice crops to keep...

Senior UC leaders have established budget targets to absorb a $500 million reduction in state funding for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The Office of the President has preliminarily assigned ANR a $6.2 million reduction for FY 2011-12. The exact amount will not be certain until final action on the State budget and action by the Board of Regents.

VP Dooley appointed an ad hoc budget committee to develop principles to guide the implementation of the $6.2 million reduction and, where appropriate, to make specific recommendations to achieve the budget target.

The committee recently completed their task by reporting their information to ANR Program Council and ANR’s Executive Working Group. In their short time span, 18...

Senior UC leaders have established budget targets to absorb a $500 million reduction in state funding for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The Office of the President has assigned ANR a $6.2 million reduction for FY 2011-12. With the state budget still uncertain, they hope to present a final budget for regental approval in July.

To develop a well-considered budget reduction plan for ANR, VP Dooley has appointed a budget committee to develop scenarios for accommodating the $6.2 million reduction.

The committee is composed of Jennifer Bunge, associate director of ANR Budget Office; Morgan Doran, UCCE advisor in Solano County; Cheryl Gould, UC IPM administrative coordinator; Beth Grafton-Cardwell, Lindcove Research and...

Yudof responds to May Revise

Governor Jerry Brown released his revised state budget proposal yesterday, May 16. The governor’s revised budget holds UC cuts to $500 million, but also described reductions that would be proposed should the state adopt an “all-cuts” budget in lieu of extending certain temporary taxes.

“The governor in his budget document asserted that, in an all-cuts budget, reductions in state funding for the University of California would be doubled, to $1 billion in cuts,” President Yudof said in a statement released in response to the proposal.

“Doubling the cut would reduce the state’s contribution to the university’s core funds – monies that pay professors and staff members,...