UC commission to address diminishing resources
UC is responding to the challenge of providing access and opportunity for California in times of grim budget challenges with the launch of the Commission on the Future of UC.
UC Regents Chairman Russell Gould summed up the goals of the commission when he announced its formation at the July Regents' meeting:
"While there is no good news in this present financial crisis, I can assure you of our determination to forge a new path for the future of the university, one that addresses stubborn fiscal realities, but also advances the overall mission of serving California with a world-class public research university system while maintaining standards of excellence and access."
The commission will tap experts from throughout the UC system and from outside to advise on strategies. It will provide recommendations in early 2010 with some recommendations possibly coming earlier.
The commission, which Gould and UC President Mark G. Yudof are co-chairing, seeks to answer five critical questions about the university's future:
- How can UC best maintain access, quality and affordability in a time of diminishing resources?
- What educational delivery models are best suited for UC's future?
- What is the appropriate size and shape of the university going forward?
- Where should UC grow, or should it?
- How can traditional and alternative revenue streams be maximized in support of UC's mission?
"We need to turn a focused eye on the way we deliver our services, on where we are and where we are going as a system," Yudof said. "We have delivered on our pledge to provide access, opportunity and affordability for 140 years. I refuse to renege on that pledge."