President's View
Mark Yudof
Meeting the future head-on
UC has demonstrated better than any other place in America, and probably the world, that is it possible to achieve both unsurpassed excellence and exceptional levels of access without compromising either.
The fact that we have succeeded at this so well for more than 140 years creates a responsibility to preserve and protect our institution for future generations.
One way we aimed to fulfill that responsibility was through the creation of the UC Commission on the Future. When the commission began its mission more than 15 months ago, we sought to answer this question: How do we ensure that the greatness and importance of UC is preserved, and even enhanced, in the face of an ever-deepening state financial crisis?
In December, UC Regents endorsed the commission's final report, which represents our best effort to answer this question.
The report documents several initiatives, some already in progress, some to be launched and others to be investigated further. But they all add up to one overarching point: Even in a fiscal crisis, we are actively positioning ourselves for smart growth in the years ahead.
The report also outlines several contingency recommendations to be held in reserve if financial circumstances become more urgent. Almost all involve cutting back on our service to Californians, cuts that would involve shrinking the university.
They include charging substantially higher tuition; limiting enrollment not just for new freshmen, but also for transfer and graduate students; dramatically downsizing faculty and staff; raising or eliminating the cap on out-of-state student enrollment; and reducing the portion of tuition revenue we set aside for financial aid.
Let me emphasize that these are steps no one wants to take — and these measures are not contemplated now. I, for one, believe we cannot shrink our way to greatness. To meet the challenges of our times, we must raise our ambitions, not lower them.
Yet we operate in an uncertain and increasingly perilous environment. UC faces a range of financial obligations that will add nearly $5 billion in expenditures to our core operating budget over the next decade. These include the restart of retirement contributions, employee benefits, bargaining unit contracts and investments in academic, technological and infrastructure improvements.
We have taken a series of hard and substantial measures already — downsizing the office of the president, furloughing staff and faculty, reducing freshman enrollment and raising tuition. We have deployed an administrative efficiencies initiative that will save $100 million in the current year and up to $500 million in future years. We’ve worked to establish an online learning pilot program. We’re focusing efforts to align course requirements and streamline the transfer process.
But as the state’s fiscal climate worsens, even our best efforts may not be enough. We may be forced to look at some of these more far-reaching and controversial recommendations.
Our foremost task is to meet the future head-on: to change what can be changed for the better and to preserve the core UC values, standards and practices. Our challenge is to strike the balance between what to recalibrate, what to discard and what to protect. I have every confidence that as we move into a new year, we can safeguard the excellence and values of the university — and of the state it so proudly serves.
Our efforts are not just about the future of UC, but ultimately the future of California.
Contact me at president@ucop.edu.