UC's impact — public investment at work 
Week of March 17, 2008
Graduating California’s future
With more than 1 million UC graduates in the state, California has one of the best-trained work forces in the world. From teachers to technology executives, UC alumni are making a difference in the workplace.
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Training California’s work force
UC educates students in more than 150 fields, preparing tomorrow’s leaders from the boardroom to the classroom. See video of UCLA success stories – student athletes who became doctors, teachers, writers and more.
“Our competitive edge is our education system. We have this system that creates new fields and new ideas. ... We have immense problems before us. It's going to be bright minds from the University of California, the CSU system, who will solve these problems. That’s what you’re investing in.”
-- Stephen Chang, founder of Stemgent and UC Irvine alumnus
Nurturing industry leaders
UC students and faculty have played a critical role in California’s major industries. For example, at least 60 California biotechnology companies – including two of the largest, Genentech and Chiron – have been successfully launched by UC San Francisco faculty, alumni or by their scientific inventions.
Inspiring next-generation businesses
UC, which received $210 million in licensing revenue for fiscal 2006, is putting its research to work at existing companies. UC researchers also are starting businesses that develop energy crops, use nanotechnology to help with desalination and create next-generation glucose monitors for diabetics.
Campus links:
Find out more about how UC researchers and technology are making a difference.
- UC is a leader in technology transfer
- UC research is making a difference in California and beyond
- UC innovation and startup successes: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, UCLA, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Berkeley Lab, Livermore Lab, Los Alamos Lab
- UC Berkeley technology is helping to provide a cheaper anti-malaria drug
- UC Davis plug-in hybrid technologies licensed
- UC Irvine and UC Santa Cruz researchers help develop better glucose monitors
- Broadcom Chairman, UCLA grad Henry Samueli discusses the university’s importance
- UCLA-industry partnership to develop, commercialize new nanotechnology
- UC Merced researchers developing screening tool for drug-resistant staph
- UC Riverside research leads to self-improving chips with speed ‘warping’
- UC San Diego project is lauded for startup help
- UC San Diego alumni brothers spice up chocolate world
- Higher efficiency organic solar cell created by UC Santa Barbara
Latest budget news
- May Revision restores some proposed UC cuts; Regents approve 2008-09 student fee levels
- Higher education leaders visit lawmakers to protest proposed budget cuts; cite devastating consequences for California
- Campaign for College Opportunity issues report on impact of higher education cuts to California
Did you know?
- UC graduates more than 40,000 students a year and its continuing education classes help about 300,000 students each year polish their job skills.
- UC awards 7% of the nation’s Ph.D. students, more each year than Stanford, Harvard and Yale combined.
- UC faculty and alumni have founded 1 out of every 4 biotech companies in California, while nearly 60% of the state’s IT and communications firms have UC alumni as executives.
Resources
- UC's budget message
- UC The Way Forward
- UC's impact: key points
- Funding higher education: An investment in California’s economy
- UC, CSU, CCC leaders: Invest in public higher education
- UC Academic Senate’s report on impact of proposed budget cuts
- Letter from Garamendi, education leaders: Proposed cuts would hurt education
- Presentation to Regents on governor’s proposed 2008-09 budget (.pdf)
- Student fee fact sheet (.pdf)
- Governor’s proposed budget
- Archived budget information
