The governor’s proposed funding level for the University of California is nearly 25 percent below what it was before the Great Recession, adjusted for inflation, according to a new report from a policy research agency.
Gov. Jerry Brown designates $3 billion in state support for the UC in his 2014-2015 budget proposal, which includes an increase of $142 million from the current fiscal year in exchange for a tuition freeze. But this proposed level falls approximately $121 million short of what the University requested in November 2013.
Although Brown’s increased state funding for the UC is a “key improvement,” higher education is an area in which the state should vigorously invest, said Phaelen Parker, author of the report and a policy analyst at the California Budget Project. The California Budget Project is a nonpartisan organization that produces state fiscal and policies analyses with a goal of advocating for low- and middle-income Californians.
Funding California’s higher education systems helps funnel money back to local communities because these institutions greatly support the state’s economic growth, Parker said.
Additionally, California is projected to struggle with a shortage of 1 million four-year-degree holders by 2025, according to a separate report from the Public Policy Institute of California.
“There is going to be unmet demand for (college) degrees, and we’re in a relatively prosperous time right now,” Parker said. “We can reverse a long-term trend and begin investing more in higher education right now.”
Compiled by Emily Suh, Bruin senior staff.