Though University of California officials are struggling to
maintain current programs in the face of stark budget cuts, on
Monday the university announced the possible incorporation of the
prestigious Monterey Institute of International Studies into the UC
system.
Discussions between the UC and the Monterey Institute are still
in early stages, and several details remain to be ironed out. If
incorporation is carried out, the institute would become a part of
UC Santa Cruz.
In a statement, UCSC Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood said a merger
would “greatly increase the research capacities of both
institutions.”
Chet Haskell, president of the Monterey Institute, stated
incorporation into the much-larger UC system would allow the
institute to grow through access to the university’s
financial and administrative resources.
The Monterey Institute teaches graduate-level programs on
international business, policy and languages. It is also home to
the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, which works to prevent the
spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
Before the possible incorporation can proceed further, a
memorandum of understanding must be reviewed by state officials and
approved by the UC Board of Regents and Monterey Institute Board of
Trustees.
While there is no official timeline for the process, a UCSC
press aide said the picture could be clearer within two months.
The state’s budget woes, which threaten to damage
virtually all areas of UC business, will be a factor in the
discussions. Negotiators will have to determine if the current
students at the Monterey Institute would become UC students, paying
UC fees and receiving financial aid, and if present faculty and
staff would fall under the UC’s payroll.
Integration of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies would add
even more nuclear weapons expertise to the university. In addition
to its physics departments, the UC manages the Los Alamos and
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, which work with the
Department of Energy to conduct weapons research and maintain the
nation’s nuclear stockpile.
While the labs and the center might seem to have conflicting
interests, Linda Ford, a press aide for the Monterey Institute,
said there was room for cooperation.
“Hopefully there will be a good working
relationship,” she said.