UC to raise $1 billion for students

Among my top priorities as president of the University of California is keeping higher education accessible and affordable. On a recent visit to Sunnyside High School in Fresno, I came face-to-face with hundreds of reminders of why that goal is so important to the future of UC and the state of California.

I had gone to the campus to announce Project You Can, a new effort to raise $1 billion for student support. We chose that particular school because its students represent just the type of young Californian who benefits most from our work to create educational opportunities.

In a part of our state where poverty is no stranger, the recession has delivered plenty of hardships. At Sunnyside High School, 87 percent of students are considered low-income. But the kids I met there did not let hardship define their lives. They were full of hope, ambition and pride in their community, school and themselves.

I had the privilege of talking to many students from the school's Doctors Academy, a UC-sponsored academic enrichment program. Founded by UC Davis med school alumna Katherine Flores, the program encourages teens to pursue health professions. Hearing these students talk about their ambitions to become doctors, nurses and researchers – and to return to the Central Valley to practice – I came away even more determined to keep UC accessible.

This month UC Regents must vote on fee increases for the rest of 2009-10 and for 2010-11 that would total roughly 32 percent. Believe me, none of us at UC wants to take this action. We know that for many students, fee increases will seem an insurmountable impediment.

That is why our campuses are stepping up their student support efforts with a $1 billion systemwide private fundraising drive. Project You Can will seek to double the money the 10 campuses collectively raised over the last five years for undergraduate, graduate and professional school students.

In addition, I'm asking Regents to raise the income ceiling on the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan to $70,000 to cover more lower-income families. Currently, the plan pays the systemwide fees for California students with household incomes of $60,000 and below who qualify for financial aid.

UC will continue to set aside a third of undergraduate fee increases and half of graduate fee increases for financial aid. Increases in UC, state and federal grants and in federal tax credits are expected to cover the 2009-10 fee increases for three-quarters of undergraduates with household incomes below $180,000.

This month, UC Regents will also vote on a budget that seeks to stabilize the university's finances with a request for increased state funding of $900 million. The budget request is part of a vigorous advocacy campaign to ask the state to restore all of the money it took away last year, to begin contributing to the UC Retirement Plan and to renew California's commitment to public higher education.

With the state facing projected budget deficits of $7 billion or more, I know everyone must share the pain of California's economic crisis, and UC is doing its share of sacrificing. But we can't continue to slice away at academic programs, staffing levels and faculty and research support without jeopardizing the university's quality and its ability to serve California.

State per-student support has shrunk by half in the last 20 years. That downward trend creates financial obstacles to education that Sunnyside High students and thousands more like them throughout the state should not have to face. It’s time to reverse this trend.

Many thousands of students and families across the state will be counting on these fundraising and state advocacy efforts to succeed. Much is at stake. During these challenging times, UC needs help from all its supporters and friends. Whether it’s contacting legislators, joining an advocacy effort or contributing to a student scholarship, you can make a difference by standing up for higher education and the California students who deserve one.

Contact me at president@ucop.edu.

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