The UC discusses budget crisis

University of California President Mark Yudof held a press conference Friday morning ““ just days before the upcoming UC Regents meeting ““ to discuss some of the actions the university 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 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 of 2008.

In addition to the increase in student fees, Yudof suggested closing the budget deficit by implementing a furlough program for university employees, which 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 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 UC Office of the President has begun cutting back on administrative costs, reducing $60 million in spending according to a statement from the Office of the President.

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 cuts and furloughs may result in professors leaving the UC for higher-paid 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 and 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 by the entire board at UC San Francisco.

The committee on finance will meet when the board convenes to discuss the current 2009-2010 budget and begin discussing plans for the 2010-2011 budget.

The bulk of next week’s meeting will focus on issues regarding the UC budget, such as its effects on employee compensation and educational policy.

A public comment period will be held at 8:30 a.m. on all three days of the meeting from July 14 to July 16. Any members of the public may voice their questions, concerns or opinions directly to the Board of Regents.

Further information on the public comment sessions can be found at the Web site for the University of California (http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/july09.html).