UC's road to recovery requires painful actions

At the September meeting of the University of California Board of Regents, I brought up a painful proposal, but one I believe has become necessary: raising fees by a significant amount in order to stabilize the university. I understand the frustration and anger of students and their families. I'm angry too. But as a leader, I owe it to the students, faculty and staff to be direct and truthful. The fact is that the worst is not over yet for California — and as a result, it's not over for the university, either. Due to deep-seated budgetary and governance problems, the state of California has become an unreliable partner for UC. We can and will take steps to repair the bond between the state and its flagship university. But that will take major reforms and an economic turnaround. In the short term, we have to take interim measures to preserve the educational quality that our students need and deserve.

I was impressed by the honesty of Mike Genest, California's state director of finance, who agreed with me — in public — that the state has become an unreliable partner. Let me be clear: The criticism is not directed at any individual. I believe that our governor, speaker and legislators are honorable people who would like to do well by UC, but cannot because of the state's complex and deepening problems.

The two-year budget I have proposed to the Board of Regents is intended to be a reset. For two years, we will rely more on student fees than we have in the past. Then we can put the university on the road to recovery. We can start by ending the furlough program, which has placed such burdens on faculty and staff, by the summer of 2010. Second, we can address the slide in the academic program. Most cuts have been on the administrative side, but we are getting reports that class sizes are getting bigger and the availability of courses is getting worse. If it takes longer to graduate as a result, then one extra semester or two extra quarters swamps the fee increase. So we are actually trying to save the students some money by helping them graduate on time.

Third, the two-year budget will allow us to restart employer contributions to the UC Retirement Plan. If we're to attract and retain talented faculty and staff, if we're to be fair to the people who've been here 10, 20, 30 years, we have to do that and it is extremely expensive.

I know these measures are painful to students who have already shouldered so much of the burden. But I believe there are worse pains than having to write a larger check to cover higher fees.

There is the pain of not being able to get into courses needed to complete a degree on schedule, of long lines at every turn, of classes too large to offer meaningful faculty interaction. There is the pain of being surrounded by demoralized staff members, as they watch what was once the state's greatest pride lose the support of its stewards in the statehouse. There is the pain of seeing the best professors and researchers depart, not because they are disloyal, but because they feel the state has lost its way and won't ever find it again.

There is the pain of seeing your degree — and post-graduation prospects — devalued as a result of it all.

I will make a pledge: We will do our best to see that students do not receive less. Despite a fee increase, you can at least be assured that you will be attending a university that will ignore the temptation of mediocrity. Nor will we privatize the university. We will continue to enroll students from all economic strata. We will fight every day and in every way possible, to preserve the greatness that Californians deserve.

Contact me at president@ucop.edu.

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