Welcome to the most prestigious public university system in the
world. New students coming to UCLA are not just becoming part of
Los Angeles but also part of the University of California, a
much-lauded institution that encompasses more than 190,000
students, three research laboratories and 10 campuses throughout
the Golden State. But they are also joining an institution that
finds itself in a tight bind, faced with an 18 percent increase in
enrollment and a 6 percent decrease in state funding, challenges
that could define the course that UCLA, the UC and California take
in the near future. These challenges also come at a time when the
leadership of the UC is undergoing a transition as current UC
President Richard Atkinson hands the reins to president-designate
Robert Dynes, who was selected June 11 and will take office in
October. This is the sort of environment into which a new
generation of UC students enter. They will inherit not just the
benefits of being a student at a public university, but the
challenges, inconveniences, and shortfalls as well. The
135-year-old University of California consistently ranks high
nationally in education and contributes important research in all
fields of study. But one of the pressing questions the UC must
answer now is not whether it can improve, but whether it can even
maintain the quality of education that students, educators, parents
and Californians have come to expect.
Budget Cuts The challenge to the UC is coming from two fronts.
On the one hand, a state budget hole of up to $38 billion has
forced the UC to cut over $300 million in services. University
programs such as libraries, research, outreach and student services
are suffering 30 to 50 percent cuts, employees are being laid off,
and students find themselves burdened with increased student fees.
Outreach programs which are geared toward attracting middle and
high schoolers to the university will take a financial bludgeoning
next year with cuts of $33.3 million. This constraint could hamper
the UC’s ability to reach potential students, especially
those in minority groups. The UC’s much-vaunted research
program, which has contributed to the development of everything
from the Internet to bunker-busting bombs and has generated over $3
billion in contracts and grants last year, has also suffered budget
cuts. Roberto Peccei, vice chancellor of research at UCLA, called
research “totally integral” to education, since
research provides students access to leading scientists and
professors and allows them to conduct their own research. Research
will be taking a $28.8 million reduction in funds, which comes on
top of a 10 percent reduction from last year. This, combined with
the fact that the federal government has decided not to renew the
university’s contract to manage the Los Alamos National
Laboratory, could signify a change in direction for the UC’s
research programs.
Student Fees Budget cuts threaten to not only diminish the
quality of university education but also to substantially increase
student fees. This could limit access to the UC, especially among
students from lower income families. Francisco Lopez, a second-year
psychobiology student said he already works 40 hours a week with
about four hours of sleep per night in order to pay university
fees. When these fees increase, he may be forced to leave the
school. Hanan Eisenman, a press aide for the UC Office of the
President, said the university is committed to helping students in
dire financial straits. He estimated that financial aid and grants
should cover the cost of rising fees for up to 40 percent of
financially needy students. “Our financial aid would still
preserve access for students, especially low-income students, to
the university,” Eisenman said. However, students have
expressed intolerance for any fee increase at all. In May, students
from six UC campuses turned out to protest when the UC Board of
Regents ““ the governing body for the UC ““ met in San
Francisco to discuss fee increases. How Dynes and the UC cope with
the various ramifications of state budget cuts, whether they be
depleted spreadsheets or student protests, is one of the principle
challenges to the UC as it moves into the 2003-2004 school
year.
Student Enrollment On the second front, the university is also
looking at unprecedented growth in its student body over the next
several years ““ growth that has, thus far, outstripped
original expectations. In 1999, the UC projected that it would grow
by over 60,000 students by 2010-2011, at least a 40 percent growth.
Dubbed “Tidal Wave II,” the university developed
strategies to handle the influx. These strategies included
expanding the natural growth of existing campuses and summer
programs, and constructing a new UC campus ““ UC Merced
““ which is slated to open in fall 2004. However, as the UC
enters 2003-2004, it has already grown by 30,000 students since
1999, indicating the growth rate has accelerated and forcing the UC
to revamp its projections. And while Gov. Gray Davis’ budget
provides full funding for enrollment programs for 2003-2004,
Eisenman said if the state budget crisis persists beyond next year,
the programs could be jeopardized. Meanwhile, the construction of
UC Merced continues, but budget clouds might put a damper on things
there too. Although UC Merced officials said the university would
be ready by 2004, they did not rule out the possibility that the
state budget crisis could delay construction. Enrollment growth may
not yet have become a problem for the UC in the traditional sense
of the word, but it could compound the effect of state budget cuts
and greatly impact the student body.
Change in Leadership In the thick of all this is Dynes, the
chancellor of UC San Diego and the newly appointed president, who
will take office with experience and optimism ““ but also
facing equally daunting tasks. Upon his appointment, Dynes said
universities around the nation, caught in a “confluence of
pressures,” will have to redefine how they teach ““ and
many will look to the UC to lead the way. “This university
has faced pressures throughout its history. And it has endured. It
has always emerged stronger,” he said in a statement.
“And it has never sacrificed the quality of its education,
its research, and its service to the public. We must remain true to
that principle now.” Although Dynes has not yet specified how
he intends to preserve the core integrity of the UC, the experience
he garnered as chancellor and his 22 years as a physicist with
AT&T Bell Laboratories do give him a foundation from which to
start.
The Coming Years This combination of factors: budget cuts on one
side, enrollment growth on the other, and a new president and
thousands of students in the middle, puts the UC in an interesting
position for the coming year. Although some people may be troubled
by what lies ahead, Dynes, for one, eagerly awaits the test.
“I believe the decade ahead will be one of great importance
in the history of the UC,” he said. “I look forward to
the challenges we will face and the opportunities they will
present.”