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Photo by Reed Hutchinson UCLA
Photographic Services
UC President Robert C. Dynes (from the left), Chancellor
Charles B. Reed of California State University and Chancellor
Thomas J. Nussbaum of California Community Colleges agreed
they need to work together to weather the fiscal crisis.
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heads of higher ed system agree:
Public must realize dire effect of cuts
BY MARINA DUNDJERSKI
UCLA Today Staff
California’s three public higher education institutions must
work together to navigate through the fiscal challenges they face
while preserving quality, affordability and access, said their leaders
at a budget forum sponsored by the University of California and
held in Covel Commons on Dec. 1.
One of the main topics tackled by the education leaders was how
to finance public higher learning at a time of fiscal crisis. UC
President Robert C. Dynes, California State University (CSU) Chancellor
Charles B. Reed and California Community Colleges (CCC) Chancellor
Thomas J. Nussbaum all agreed that the public needs to be convinced
that further cuts to higher education will be detrimental to individuals
and the economic future of the state.
“[Californians] still do expect the best of higher education
in the country and do believe somehow that they’re paying
for it,” Dynes said. “But they have lost track of what
it costs.”
Reed added, “You have lots of advocates in the state, and
they want a life that is better for their children than they had.
… It’ll scare the hell out of them if they find out
that their son or daughter is not going to get into the CSU or UC
or the community colleges. And we haven’t done a very good
job of talking about the consequences of that.”
Steven A. Olsen, UCLA’s vice chancellor of finance, said
that due to mandates on state spending – such as Proposition
98, which guarantees a certain level of money to K-12 and the CCC
-- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature cannot depend
on economic recovery to solve the operating deficit.
Such “mandatory” budget items comprise 63% of California’s
General Fund spending in 2004-05, Olsen said. On the other hand,
the “discretionary” budget – which includes UC,
CSU, prisons, health and social services -- make up 37% of General
Fund spending. And UC’s and CSU’s combined funding of
$5.3 billion is 16% of the “discretionary” budget, Olsen
added. Already the state Department of Finance has asked all state
entities, including the UC and CSU, to make plans for possible cuts
of up to 20% in 2004-05.
State education leaders are beginning to ask themselves a soul-searching
question: Is California’s higher education system becoming
state-assisted rather than state-supported? Under such a system,
Olsen explained, the universities would generally be responsible
for their own financial support while the state would purchase a
certain level of access for residents, thus creating a market rate
differential between tuition for residents and non-residents.
Bruce Hamlett, chief consultant for the California State Assembly
Committee on Higher Education, said members have recently discussed
such topics as improving time-to-degree, making transfers more efficiently,
looking at student-fee differentials and improving per-student costs.
But Reed countered, “One thing I haven’t heard today
is this: What is the state’s responsibility in funding higher
education? Is it $10,000 per student? Is it $5,000 per student?
$15,000? … That question doesn’t get asked in Sacramento.
And No. 2: What is the state’s responsibility about access?”
Said Nussbaum: “The bottom line is when times get really
tough, the state gets amnesia on its commitment to access and cuts
the levels [of support] per student.” Currently at the community
colleges, he said, there are 175,000 fewer students than projected
by the Department of Finance for 2002. “It’s not because
of fees,” Nussbaum said. “Our colleges cut thousands
and thousands of course sessions because of budget cuts.”
Dynes said that despite the fiscal troubles, it is important to
keep a positive outlook. “Even now, we are the envy of the
world because somehow we have figured out how to attract the most
creative, innovative people in the world … and that has to
be retained throughout these difficult times.”
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