Robert Dynes made his commitment to “preserve the
excellence” of the University of California crystal clear on
Friday, but his plans for how to accomplish this goal in a time of
crisis remain somewhat fuzzy.
Dynes, former chancellor of UC San Diego, took office Thursday
as the UC’s 18th president.
“I have to say, my adrenaline is pumping, my mind is
churning at mad, and I want to get on with it,” Dynes said
Friday in a conference call with student journalists.
During the conference, an eager Dynes said he is ready to take
the helm of the UC and to tackle tough issues the UC is facing,
including rapid increases in student enrollment and deep budget
cuts.
Most of the questions Dynes fielded during the discussion
centered around the biggest issue the UC is facing: a bleak budget
situation.
Asked about the status of the university’s newest campus,
UC Merced, Dynes said there are already 100 or so students
attending class, and that officials are trying to phase in
enrollment of more students. The opening of Merced, originally
scheduled for fall 2004, was delayed this summer until fall 2005
due to budget cuts.
He also discussed the state of the UC’s management of Los
Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, which will go up for bid
in 2005. Dynes, former vice-chair of the UC President’s
Council on the National Laboratories, expressed interest in bidding
on the labs but said the conditions of the bids must be
“consistent with the university’s mission.”
But despite a few specific answers, Dynes was reluctant to take
definitive stands on certain issues in his second day as
president.
When asked about how he plans on dealing with a bleak state
budget situation and the possibility of $600 million in cuts for
the UC next year, Dynes simply said he is “not willing to
accept (the cuts) at this point.”
He vowed instead to make a “persuasive argument” to
the state Legislature that investing money in the UC now will
produce a return many times over for California in the future in
the form of research advancements and employment opportunities for
the state.
Dynes did emphasize that he does not look favorably upon former
President Richard Atkinson’s proposal to accept more
out-of-state students.
If enacted, Dynes said, Atkinson’s plan would either
displace resident students or cause a strain on faculty and staff
in dealing with the increased student population, both of which are
not attractive options.
How California’s upcoming recall election might affect the
UC was another hot topic Dynes sidestepped, saying,
“I’m going to stay away from those politics.”
In an attempt to reach out to the UC community, Dynes said he is
planning a series of events in the coming months to get feedback
from students, staff and alumni as well as business executives and
elected officials about their views on the UC and their ideas for
improvement.