Gov. Schwarzenegger pledged to fund the University of California
at Merced during his first State of the State address Tuesday in
order to have the UC’s 10th campus open in 2005.
He declared his objective to “expand the dream of
college” and to “not let the dream bypass our Central
Valley.”
Now UC Merced officials wait for the release of
Schwarzenegger’s budget plan ““ due out today ““ to
learn to what extent their $20 million funding request will be
met.
Facing a $15 billion 2004-2005 budget deficit, Schwarzenegger
used his State of the State speech to prepare Californians for
major spending cuts in virtually all government services.
The UC Merced project was an exception ““ it was the only
project mentioned when it came to funding.
Schwarzenegger has made “a goodwill gesture to keep the
Merced campus moving forward,” said Assemblywoman Sarah
Reyes, D-Fresno.
Reyes looks forwards to today’s budget details, she said,
adding that Schwarzenegger has not promised full funding, though
this would be her favored outcome.
“UC Merced just doesn’t bring students; it brings so
much more,” Reyes emphasized, referring to the economic
development she believes the university will help fuel.
“It will bring jobs to the Central Valley, as well as
much-needed research in agriculture and health care, among other
fields,” Reyes said.
UC Merced spokeswoman Patti Istas reiterated these beliefs.
“The university should prompt economic recovery in the
Central Valley,” she said.
UC Merced already has over 200 employees, including 15 faculty
members, with a payroll exceeding $7 million. It has contracted out
$170 million in state bonds to build a library, classrooms, science
and engineering buildings, roads and parking lots.
The university has won the governor’s support for more
than just the job opportunities it offers.
The campus would help relieve the overcrowding that plagues the
UC system, which currently has 5,000 over-enrolled students, Istas
said.
“We hope to reach out to valley students in
particular,” she said.
UC Merced plans to eventually serve 25,000 students, with a goal
that 50 percent of the student body be from the San Joaquin
Valley.
The campus is being developed through a partnership that
includes a grant of nearly $12 million from the David and Lucille
Packard Foundation and over 7,000 acres of the Virginia Smith Trust
lands.
UC Merced needs an additional $20 million in state funds in
order to open in the fall of 2005.
Part of the money would be used to hire approximately 60 people
to teach the first 1,000 UC Merced undergraduates.
Funds would also go toward the library and student support and
enrollment services.
“Vigorous recruitment efforts will be necessary, as well
as application acceptance services, in order for the university to
open as planned in 2005,” Istas said.
If UC Merced receives complete funding under
Schwarzenegger’s budget, it would be a sure sign of his
support of higher education.
At the same time, Reyes fears student fee increases would
counteract the advance, making attending a UC more difficult for
California students.