UC budget crisis

Former UCLA Chancellor Charles Young on UC’s Budget Dilemma

Byuclafaculty

In an article in the CUCEA newsletter, former UCLA Chancellor Charles Young discusses the budget problems facing UC and some possible solutions: (excerpt) Raising out ­of ­state and international student enrollments as a greater source of revenue. Increasing tuition levels uniformly throughout the system to a level that would cover state budget cuts AND maintain quality and fully meet the costs of additional enrollments. Allowing individual campuses to impose a premium above the uniform base to provide for appropriate distinctive needs and opportunities, commensurate with market conditions and ability to provide the increased aid necessary to make increases neutral with…

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The Governor’s May Revise Budget (including audio)

Byuclafaculty

Governor Jerry Brown presented his May Revise budget for 2012-13 at a news conference earlier today.  It was followed by a question-and-answer session with state Finance Director Ana Matosantos.  In general terms, the May Revise followed the format of the original January proposal in that it included the assumption that voters would approve a tax initiative in November and that, if they didn’t, there would be trigger cuts.  Since January, as readers of this blog will know, revenues came in below forecast levels and a revised tax initiative was negotiated.  In addition, the state has been prevented from making certain…

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November Tax Could Go Up in Smoke in June

Byuclafaculty

You probably know that Governor Brown has now filed his tax initiative for the November ballot.  He will be unveiling his May Revise 2012-13 budget proposal this coming Monday and it is likely to be unpleasant since state tax revenues are coming in below forecast levels for this year.  Exactly how UC will fare in the new proposal is unknown but it was the target of trigger cuts in the January version; the trigger would be pulled if voters do not pass the governor’s tax initiative.  (Ultimately, of course, the budget and any triggers must be enacted by the legislature;…

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Trending Down

Byuclafaculty

PPIC has issued a report noting that California enrollments have been dropping at UC and CSU as the state has cut funding and tuition has risen.  The chart above is from that report.  UC and CSU actually have been admitting a higher percentage of high school grads but those admitted increasingly go elsewhere.  Excerpt: California’s financial commitment to higher education has been compromised by fiscal crises and competing state priorities. Despite large increases in the demand for higher education, state general fund spending in this area has declined notably over the past ten years. California now spends more on corrections…

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Regents to Discuss (Not Enact) Possible Future Tuition Increases at May 16 Meeting

Byuclafaculty

Excerpts from the Fresno Bee: University of California students could face significantly higher tuition if the state doesn’t increase funding and voters reject the governor’s tax initiative, school administrators said Tuesday.  Under one scenario, the 10-campus system would raise tuition by 6 percent this fall if the state doesn’t increase funding by $125 million for 2012-13, according to a document posted online ahead of next week’s UC Board of Regents meeting.  The university would need to consider a mid-year tuition increase in the “range of double digits” – or make drastic cuts to campus programs and staffing – if voters…

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Moving Toward Michigan

Byuclafaculty

This blog previously noted the rise in non-California students at UC and UCLA (who pay full tuition) that has occurred as a response to the ongoing budget crisis.  See http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/04/it-doesnt-seem-to-add-up.html.  Today, the Sacramento Bee features the story and notes the “Michigan Model” as analogous to UC’s approach.  Although UCLA has said it just adds non-state students (as opposed to displacing in-state students), it appears from the numbers as reported in the previous post that there is some displacement. Excerpts from the Bee: …UC officials are aggressively courting non-resident students through college fairs and high school counselors… System officials say the push beyond…

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UC-San Diego Community College Transfer Guarantee to End

Byuclafaculty

The UC San Diego program that guarantees transfer admission to community college students who meet certain requirements will come to an end in 2014, campus officials have decided.  They said explosive growth in the number applications under the program, coupled with sharp cuts in state funding for the University of California, have threatened to swamp the campus. Administrators and students at area community colleges said the decision will disproportionately harm disadvantaged students…UC San Diego’s Transfer Admissions Guarantee, or TAG, program began in the early 1980s. Students from the six regional districts who took specific required courses and earned a 3.0…

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In the Balance

Byuclafaculty

You may see headlines about a recent court decision related to last year’s budget conflict between the legislature and the state controller.  Voters passed an initiative lowering the requirement to pass a budget from two thirds to a simple majority but with the stipulation that if a balanced budget was not passed by June 15 (the constitutional deadline), legislators would lose a day of pay for each day beyond June 15. Last year the legislature hastily passed a budget to meet the deadline after it became clear that the governor’s negotiations with Republican legislators were going nowhere. The governor needed…

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Listen to Remaining Audio of Regents Meeting of March 29, 2012

Byuclafaculty

A previous post on this blog noted that a defective file had been received for the third day session of the Regents after the Public Comments period.  Only part of that session was posted as a result, although it did include the decision officially to withdraw implementation of an exemption from the IRS pension cap.  The complete recording has now been received.  It includes the portion previous posted plus discussion of private budgetary support and fund raising, political advocacy including a request by students to support the governor’s tax initiative scheduled for the November ballot.  There was also discussion of…

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Time to “Man Up” to the Fact that UC Funding is Not Governor Brown’s Top Objective

Byuclafaculty

Governor Brown received flak for a comment made on a San Francisco radio show last week in which he told the legislature to “man up” and make his proposed budget cuts. The remark triggered memories of former Governor Schwarzenegger’s characterization of the legislature as composed of “girly men.” Actually, the radio interview – apart from the man-up soundbite – was interesting from the UC perspective because of what the governor did not mention.  Apart from a fleeting reference to his father’s creation of new university campuses, which he cited only to justify his support for the proposed high-speed rail project,…