The governor's call for shifting state priorities toward higher education is an insightful and essential action. With his higher education proposal, the governor has acted to take what could be a monumental step forward for the state.

As chairman of the Board of Regents of the University of California, I look forward to exploring the details of the governor's idea with my colleagues and to working with the governor and the Legislature to advance the cause of adequate higher education funding. Securing the funding of higher education is securing the promise of California. The trend of chronic disinvestment in the University of California and the California State University systems must be reversed. The road to a stronger economy and a brighter future for California runs straight through its great public universities.