University of California Budget News

November 12, 2009

Join the fight for UC

UC is stepping up advocacy efforts to let legislators and the governor know how critical their support is to preserving the university’s access and quality.

President Mark Yudof is asking students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of higher education to sign up on the UC for California Web site and join a letter-writing campaign. “It’s time we stand up and make ourselves heard,” Yudof says. “Nearly 2000,000 have joined the fight. You can help.”

• Category: From the President

November 21, 2009

UC fee increases were unavoidable

UC hit the “negative jackpot” with a 20 percent cut in state funding. That made raising student fees unavoidable, says UC President Mark Yudof. “We do not have the money to run the University of California,” Yudof tells reporters after the Regents voted to raise fees.

Watch video of the media conference.

• Category: In the media, Student fees, UC's options

November 18, 2009

UC fee increases get Regents vote

UC Regents voted on a 2010-11 budget that includes student fee increases and a request for a $913 million state funding increase.

“We’re being forced to impose a user tax on our students and their families,” said UC President Mark Yudof. “This is a tax necessary because our political leaders have failed to adequately fund public higher education.”

The fee increases are part of a budget that asks the state for a $913 million increase in funding. Regents also endorsed an expansion of the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan to make more financial aid available to low-income students.

• Category: Student fees, UC's options

November 18, 2009

California budget gap to soar to nearly $21 billion

The Legislative Analyst’s Office is projecting budget shortfall of $20.7 billion. California must make painful decisions in the months ahead. LAO blames inability of prison system and Medi-Cal to achieve spending reductions for part of the problem.

• Category: In the media, Uncategorized

November 16, 2009

UC seeks $913 million state funding increase

UC Regents will vote on a budget plan for 2010-11 during their Nov. 17 to 19 meeting at UCLA. The budget plan includes a request for $913 million from the state to restore steep cuts made over the last two years to the university’s budget. The plan also includes undergraduate, graduate and professional school fee increases for January 2010 and fall 2010 terms. The Regents’ finance committee will consider the plan Wednesday and the full board vote on Thursday. They will also vote on increasing financial aid to minimize the impact of fee increases on needy students.

Find out more about the budget proposal. (pdf)

Find out more about student fee proposal (pdf)

Find out more about professional schools fee proposal (pdf)

• Category: UC's options

November 12, 2009

Misinformation: the enemy of excellence

UC Chief Operating Officer Peter Taylor writes in this op-ed how misleading claims about student fee revenue are spreading like viruses. The university does not use revenue from student fees to pay back bond money borrowed for building projects.

• Category: Op-eds, Student fees

November 12, 2009

Radical ideas for funding UC

The UC Commission on the Future heard a range of ideas for funding the university and saving money at their meeting in Oakland today. Some of the ideas: assessing a surcharge on employers who hire UC grads, eliminating all fees but charging graduates a percentage of their salaries, creating high-fee professional master’s degrees, offering systemwide online courses. The commission heard from economist Robert Reich, public policy expert Mark Baldassare and two former UC Presidents.

• Category: UC Commission on the Future, UC's options

November 12, 2009

Californians give public universities high marks

The Public Policy Institute of California’s latest higher education survey shows the majority of people polled rate public higher education highly. But they’re very concerned about state budget cuts and higher student fees. At the same time, they don’t want to raise taxes.

• Category: In the media

November 11, 2009

CSU to ask for $884 million state funding increase

UC is not alone in its struggle to cope with state budget slashing. California State University will limit enrollment by 40,000 over two years and close fall 2010 applications early. Chancellor Charles Reed says he’s asking the state to increase the budget by $884 million. He calls it a “recover and reinvest budget.”

• Category: Latest numbers, Student fees

November 3, 2009

Public universities face hard times, higher tuition

The New York Times shows UC is not alone in its financial hardships: Many flagship public universities across the United States are cutting programs and raising student fees to make up for dramatic drops in state support.

• Category: In the media