Posts Tagged: budget

President Yudof's remarks at January regents meeting

UC President Mark Yudof discussed the state budget in his overview address to the UC Board of Regents at its January 19 meeting.

"The governor has proposed reducing state support for the University of California by $500 million for fiscal year 2011-12," Yudof said. "If approved, this budget will mean that, for the first time in our long history, tuition paid by University of California students and their families will exceed the state's contribution to the core fund.

"For those who believe what we provide is a public good, not a private one, this is a sad threshold to cross, but in California it's been a long time in coming."

..."In my mind, the governor is dead serious about matching the reach of public service with the willingness of taxpayers to pay for it. It is a noble pursuit, long overdue, but the implications for the university are profound.

I am operating under the belief that the proposed cuts are coming our way, and that we must act swiftly and responsibly to prepare for them — even as we continue to press the case of our critical role in shaping the destiny of this great state."

The full text of Yudof's remarks as prepared for delivery can be read at
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/24833

ANR not participating in voluntary separation program

The UC Davis campus has announced it is offering its Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) again as an opportunity for employees to self-identify their willingness to voluntarily resign their UC Davis employment.

ANR has made the decision to NOT offer the VSP to ANR employees located either on or off campus.

If you have any questions, you may contact Human Resources Coordinator Robert Martinez at (530) 752-3467 or Staff Personnel Executive Director Linda Manton at (530) 752-0495.

President Yudof's open letter to California

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.

Legislature passes 2010-11 budget

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.

UC statement on Democrats' budget proposal

Statement from Patrick Lenz, UC vice president-budget, about the latest budget proposal from state Assembly and Senate Democrats:

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.

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