UC president gives advice in face of budget crisis

University of California President Mark G. Yudof held a press conference Friday morning to discuss some of the actions the UC may take to address the budget crisis. Speaking from the UC Office of the President headquarters in Oakland, Yudof said that the UC system is expecting a drop of $813 million in state funding for the 2009-2010 school year.

“If I thought this was a blip, a one-year thing, then we could get through the year. But this is a culmination of 20 years of prison budgets growing and education being cut,” Yudof said.

The budget crisis facing the university is not unique to California, Yudof said. Rather, similar cuts are being made in many states across the country.

“I think we will get through this, but we have a lot at risk,” Yudof said.

Yudof expressed great concern about preserving the quality of the education for UC students, despite cutbacks that may include a reduction in the teaching staff and some student services.

So far, there have already been two student fee increases since May 2008.

In addition to the increase in student fees, Yudof suggested closing the budget deficit by implementing a furlough program for university employees that would taper off so that employees who make the least are affected the least.

According to a UC statement, many employees strongly preferred a furlough program to across-the-board pay cuts.

However, Yudof said that he hopes that these furlough days will not be taken on days of instruction, but rather on holidays, to disrupt students’ education as little as possible.

Yudof also suggested that the UC could make up for another $100 million by refinancing debt.

The remainder of the budget deficit will have to be addressed through campus-based cuts, which each campus’ chancellor will present to the UC Board of Regents at next week’s meeting.

Yudof and Russell Gould, the new chairman of the Board of Regents, both expressed concern that the pay cuts and furloughs may result in professors leaving the UC for higher-paying positions elsewhere.

Furthermore, a proposal was made that would result in the highest-paid faculty taking a voluntary pay cut. The money would go into a central fund to help other faculty members with their mortgage payments and other bills.

This proposal, along with Yudof’s plan to modify the way the UC operates are to be discussed and decided upon at next Wednesday’s Board of Regents meeting at UC San Francisco and the entire Board of Regents is to discuss and vote on any action that may be taken.