The California Coalition for Public Higher Education (CCPHE) thanks Gov. Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature for providing the highest level of funding that California’s public higher education system has received in many years. While there is still work to be done to make up for past losses and future investment needs, the 2022-23 state budget and the commitment to increases in future years are important investments in our state’s promising future.
– The California Coalition for Public Higher Education
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On June 10, 2021, Capitol Weekly published this column from Dan Chernow, president of the CSU Northridge Alumni Association and executive director of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education – Education Fund and Michael Woo, dean emeritus of the College of Environment Design at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and a California Coalition for Public Higher Education board member, titled, “Public higher education: Key to economic vitality“:
At a time when the United States is seeking to expand economic opportunity and address social inequities, Californians should vigorously support an institution that does both: our public colleges and universities.
The state’s higher education system has long been the envy of the world. The University of California, California State University (CSU) and California Community Colleges provide the critical skills, social mobility and innovation that have helped make California the world’s fifth largest economy. A highly educated workforce is one of the reasons that so many businesses and entrepreneurs continue to locate here.
A recent report calls particular attention to CSU’s massive economic contribution. The report points out that CSU is the largest four-year university system in America, and that its 23 campuses award nearly half of all bachelor’s degrees in the state.
All in all, CSU accounts for almost $27 billion of economic activity and $1.6 billion in state and local taxes.
CSU prepares students for economic participation – it produces more than 100,000 job-ready graduates annually – and spurs entrepreneurial activity throughout the state. Yet it is one of the most affordable public universities in America, and its campuses rank among the best in the nation for value, social mobility and return on investment. For every $1 that it receives from California, CSU generates nearly $7.
The mission of public colleges and universities is becoming more urgent every day.
White-collar workers and knowledge-intensive industries like technology went largely unscathed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But others – such as restaurant and hotel workers – were hit hard.
The Brookings Institute observed that COVID-19 and the associated economic shutdowns “created a crisis for all workers, but the impact was greater for women, non-white workers, lower-wage earners and those with less education.”
The pandemic’s economic fallout has underscored the importance of preparing our young people for a changing economy. Producing skilled workers is critical to America’s future and its ability to secure prosperity and broaden economic opportunity for all, including those who are under-represented.
The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) has noted that college graduates receive larger wage gains and more benefits than workers without bachelor’s degrees. Indeed, a bachelor’s degree holder in California earns nearly twice as much as a high school graduate does.
California’s colleges and universities teach students how to think, adapt, work together and solve complex problems – skills that are critical in today’s evolving economy. That may be one reason that graduates weather recessions better and benefit more when the economy recovers.
A growing number of industries need highly skilled employees, and many of them are facing talent shortages. California has begun to close the college degree gap but still needs to do more to meet the demand for higher education from students and their parents.
To address this issue, California’s colleges and universities are going to need stable funding from state and federal government.
We’ve made progress, but we need to do more.
The 2021-22 budget proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom would increase higher education spending and includes a promise that tuition and student fees won’t be increased. The state’s public colleges and universities and their students will also benefit from a boost in funding from the American Rescue Plan approved earlier this year.
But their budgets took a big hit during the COVID-19 shutdowns, when they lost income from dining, housing and other on-campus services and experienced increases in costs for new technology to shift to online instruction and other pandemic-related expenses. They also have never fully made up for the funding losses public higher education suffered during the 2008-2012 recession.
Support for our public colleges and universities is a down payment on California’s future, an investment in our economy and the promise of success for people from all walks of life. It is an opportunity we can’t afford to pass up.
California’s public higher education institutions do need more funding. But Nils Gilman’s financing plan would “rob Peter to pay Paul” by taking all state funding from the UC system to make up for inadequate state funding for the CSU and CCC systems.
His plan would require big UC tuition increases, which would limit access to just the wealthiest students and those students who would qualify for scholarships. At a time when California and the country are seeking to expand economic opportunities and address social inequities, we should vigorously support funding to increase, rather than limit, access to all our public colleges and universities.
As California Coalition for Public Higher Education co-chairs, we believe that support for the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems is an investment in their promise of success for people from all walks of life and in a strong future for our state’s economy.
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The election of Vice President Kamala Harris and the appointment of several Californians to top posts in the new administration signal not only the state’s renewed clout in the nation’s capital but also the influential role our world-class public higher education system plays in shaping leaders and expanding diversity at the upper echelons of government.
Harris, a graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of Law, is the nation’s first woman, first person of color and first UC-affiliated person to ever hold the vice presidency. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus, is the first woman to hold that powerful position, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas graduated from UC Berkeley and is the first Latino and immigrant leader of the Department of Homeland Security.
These appointments and others underscore how California’s public higher education system creates strong and diverse leaders and helps combat economic and social inequities. But leaders at UC, California State University and California Community Colleges recognize they need to do more to increase diversity among faculty, staff and the student population. Each is moving forward with initiatives to achieve these goals, and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal to increase funding for these initiatives deserves the Legislature’s support.
Among these initiatives, California Community Colleges, the state’s primary entry point into collegiate degree programs, has already met its 2022 goal of a 20% increase in students receiving credentials, and it is narrowing the achievement gap for students of color. California Community Colleges also is increasing flexibility in its courses, credit and support to meet the needs of an older and increasingly diverse student population. And it’s working to help struggling students secure housing and food, so they can focus on learning and reaching their goals.
CSU Board of Trustees and UC Board of Regents have developed multi-year plans to eliminate achievement gaps, with CSU seeking to eliminate gaps by 2025 and UC by 2030. Graduation rates at CSU, one of the nation’s largest and most diverse public universities, are at an all-time high, granting 62% of all bachelor’s degrees earned by California’s Latinx students and 47% of all bachelor’s degrees earned by the state’s Black students.
For the fall 2020 semester, UC enrolled more Latinx students than before and increased the admissions of low-income and first-generation-to-college students. The trend is continuing. UC reports a record number of undergraduate applications for the upcoming fall semester, a surge in applications from Latinx and Black students applications and continued growth in California Community Colleges transfer applications.
The governor’s budget proposal would continue these gains by providing state funding to CCC, CSU and UC to help close equity gaps, promote completion, fuel innovation and support students’ upward economic mobility. A recent agreement with legislative leaders would also restore previously enacted reductions, effective July 1, for UC and CSU. And the governor’s proposal assumes no increase in tuition and fees in 2021-22.
While the budget proposal won’t make up for all the funding losses over the past several years at the state’s colleges and universities, it will help them continue to provide the ladders to success for students from backgrounds and train the diverse leaders we need.
Over the past year, the U.S. has faced a long overdue reckoning of the racial and economic divides that persist in our nation. This moment in time demands urgent action to achieve equity in higher education to give students from all walks of life equal access and opportunities. Now is not the time to falter or fail. Now is the time to invest in all our young people.
The University of California, California State University and California’s Community Colleges are economic engines for the state. They provide jobs, workforce training and innovations. But they need the fuel of stable state and federal funding sources to help drive the state’s recovery as it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The op-ed continues:
The 2021-22 budget proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom would increase their budgets by 3% and includes a promise that tuition and student fees won’t be increased. The governor, in an agreement with legislative leaders announced last week, signed legislation this week that restored previously enacted reductions, effective July 1, for UC and CSU. We appreciate these proposed increases and restorations of lost funding amid the pandemic’s downturn in revenues and increase in demands on the state budget.
But future budgets will need to make up for the funding losses public higher education suffered during the 2008-12 recession, the COVID-19 reductions in income from dining, housing and other on-campus services and the increased costs for new technology to shift to online instruction and other pandemic-related expenses.
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From mapping the COVID-19 genome to treating the nation’s first case of community spread of the deadly virus, University of California researchers and physicians have been among the leaders in the global battle against coronavirus.
California State University researchers have joined the fight as well with their own research initiatives, including developing low-cost ventilators and using artificial intelligence to design a model for predicting COVID-19 patients’ mortality risks to help physicians make informed treatment decisions.
It’s perhaps no surprise then to find that almost three in four Americans recognize research universities are essential weapons in the war on COVID-19 and in tackling other global challenges, and that more than half believe universities have a positive impact on our country.
The op-ed continues:
By acting now to send much-needed federal funds to the state, Congress can hasten our economic recovery and ensure California is ready and able to combat today’s public health emergency and future global challenges.
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On June 29, 2019, the San Francisco Chronicle published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “State’s audit of California State University misguided, mistaken”:
The California State University is the nation’s largest four-year public university system. It produces more than half the state’s bachelor’s degrees, sending 126,000 job-ready graduates into the workforce annually. It has the most ethnically, economically and academically diverse student body in the nation.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of having a world-class higher education system to spark the industries that make California’s economy one of the largest and most vibrant in the world.
To ensure it fulfills its vital role in educating the state’s workforce, CSU has prudently managed public funds to protect taxpayers, students and their families.
It has maintained a reserve, or “rainy day” fund — just as many families and the state of California do — to cover one-time costs. Among the uses for the reserves are funding for new construction and maintenance, bridge funding from one fiscal year to the next, and advances on financial aid to students during the periods before the state and federal governments fund their grants.
Public Policy Institute of California, an independent nonprofit research institution, recently praised this “prudent saving strategy.” It also commended CSU for its accountability and transparency in the creation of an online Financial Transparency Portal where the public can see five years of revenues and expenses.
In this context, the California State Auditor’s recent audit of CSU is both misguided and mistaken. The Auditor is criticizing the system’s management of both reserve funds and reporting practices. CSU had $7.7 billion operating expenses in 2018 and had set aside a $1.5 billion reserve. This sum is equal to about 2.4 months in operating reserves — or less than half the five months the experts say CSU should have.
Yet the audit mistakenly describes these as “discretionary surplus” funds, implying there’s no immediate need for these sums of money. In reality, there is.
Moreover, reserve funds provide insurance to protect students, faculty and the university from another economic downturn. CSU’s budget was slashed by nearly $1 billion during the Great Recession, so suggesting reserve funds be used for ongoing expenses is simply irresponsible.
The audit’s other claim is that CSU failed to fully inform students and lawmakers about its reserves. This overlooks more than 30 public reports that included information about these funds. These reports include a presentation on this very topic to CSU’s Board of Trustees in September 2017 — a presentation which was attended by Gov. Gavin Newsom, legislative staff, students, faculty, and staff leaders.
The audit did find that CSU properly safeguarded its reserve funds and properly stewarded financial resources.
But the audit is misguided in its underlying approach to university funds, especially when it criticizes CSU for maintaining “outside accounts.”
CSU is like dozens of state agencies holding money outside the state treasury. In fact, the education code requires CSU to deposit revenues from tuition and other student fees into bank accounts held in trust.
All educational institutions must set aside funds to cover delayed payments and reimbursements from state and federal governments. They need adequate cash flow to cover costs, such as payments to retirement and health accounts for their employees. To do otherwise would be irresponsible.
CSU has been responsible. It has advocated for more investment in public higher education, while holding certain funds in reserve and in plain sight to protect students, their families, faculty and staff from the inevitable “rainy day” of another economic downturn.
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On July 2, 2019, The Sacramento Beepublished an op-ed from Timothy P. White, chancellor of the California State University, titled, “Does CSU have lots of money saved in reserves? Yes, and it’s never been a secret.” Here’s an excerpt:
The claim that California State University has a secret stockpile of surplus funds in outside accounts is a sensationalistic take on common – and responsible – fiscal practices. It is wrong to characterize designated operating reserves as “secretive massive funds.”
The audit verified that CSU follows the technical reporting procedures dictated by the Department of Finance, the State Controller’s Office and the State Treasurer’s Office. Governmental fund reports can be hard to interpret for some people. But information pertaining to CSU’s finances, including money invested by the CSU, has always been accessible by the public, including on our Financial Transparency Portal.
Unfortunately, the recent audit failed to mention that more than 30 public reports published by CSU – during the 10-year audit period – included detailed information about investment balances and net assets, including what the report refers to as “surpluses.” Moreover, this report failed to include letters to state legislators in 2017 and 2018 that addressed balances in state funds invested outside the state Treasury. CSU is legally required to deposit revenue from tuition and other student fees into bank accounts held in trust – what the auditor calls “outside accounts.”
The op-ed continues:
Information about money CSU invests outside of the state Treasury are reported during CSU Trustees’ meetings. These public meetings are streamed live, and then are archived and accessible on the CSU website. In fact, during a September 2017 CSU Board of Trustees’ meeting, a specific presentation was devoted to the topic of reserves. Gov. Gavin Newsom, other legislative staff, students, faculty and staff leaders were all in attendance at the meeting.
There’s still one key point that was buried by the media headlines: Nowhere did the audit report find that the CSU misused funds or that our strategy to build a prudent reserve was not appropriate.
Ironically, this audit report was made public a week after the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) issued a report, “CSU’s Prudent Saving Strategy,” concluding that “building operating reserves is key to preserving access and maintaining strong student access during the next recession.” The PPIC also recognized the CSU’s new online Financial Transparency Portal as an important step in “making important information available to public officials and the attentive public” about the allocation of resources and the CSU’s reserve strategy.
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On April 11, 2019, CALmatterspublished an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “We must let more California students into public universities’ front door.” Here’s an excerpt:
In 2017, CSU was forced to deny admission to 30,000 eligible students. Far fewer than half the eligible applicants for UC admission are accepted and at some campuses, fewer than 15% of applicants are admitted.
The major factor in this shortfall in capacity is that the state has failed to adequately invest in higher education.
Despite budget surpluses and recent increases in state spending on higher education, per student funding for the University of California by the state is more than 30% lower than it was two decades ago. Tuition and fees exceed state dollars as a source of funding for UC’s core educational expenses.
The situation has begun to improve. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s initial 2019-20 budget proposal calls for $1 billion combined increases for UC, CSU and the community colleges. The governor has wisely embraced the CSU budget request that will allow the system to expand enrollment and improve graduation rates.
But while Gov. Newsom’s January budget plan calls for a significant boost for the University of California, it falls about $200 million short of what is needed. In the past five years, UC has enrolled almost 5,000 additional students without the state paying any of its share for their costs.
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On March 15, 2019, Fox & Hounds published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “Higher Education Funding Momentum Must Continue.” Here’s an excerpt:
The decisions by the University of California and California State University to hold the line on tuition increases in the Fall are welcome news, provided that Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature follow through with robust increases in State funding for UC, CSU and our community colleges. Otherwise, educational quality will suffer and thousands of deserving students will be turned away.
It used to be that tuition was not a factor at the University as the State wisely underwrote the cost of education. That changed as the State began decades on a fiscal roller-coaster that produced boom and bust Budgets. In the process, much of the cost of college funding at both UC and California State University were shifted to students and their families in the form of tuition and fees. Today, per student State funding for UC is less than half of what it was in 1980-81 and tuition has risen accordingly, even as the system has become more efficient and cost effective.
Fortunately, State higher education funding has edged up in recent years and Governor Newsom’s first budget proposal in January represents a significant recommitment to investment in our higher education system. The Governor’s January blueprint calls for $1.4 billion in added support for UC, CSU and the community colleges. Still the boost of $240 million in operating support for UC is barely half what the University needs. The Governor’s January Budget proposal does cover CSU costs as projected.
The op-ed continues:
The increases in State higher education funding over the past few years have been a positive sign, but they have been accompanied by mandates to enroll more California students without the dollars to accommodate those additional students. That isn’t sustainable.
On Jan. 22, 2019, Fox & Hounds published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “Governor’s Higher Education Funding Proposal Off to a Good Start.” Here’s an excerpt:
Governor Gavin Newsom’s first Budget proposal has a good deal of hopeful news for higher education. Now, the devil will be in the details and in committing to ongoing funding, rather that the cyclical ups and downs that have undermined the University of California, California State University and our community colleges over the past several decades.
It is heartening that Governor Newsom has once again made higher education a State priority. The initial 2019-20 Budget proposal unveiled by the Governor includes more than a billion dollars in additional funding for the three sectors combined. This marks the most substantial higher education funding boost in more than a decade.
The University of California will receive an additional $240 million in operating funds—a 6.9% increase—plus a one-time outlay of $153 million, primarily for maintenance. CSU will receive an additional $318 million in operating funds—an 8% increase—plus a one-time allocation of $264 million. Community colleges will be getting an additional $401 million and the Governor is proposing that the State cover two-full years of free community college. This is all good news, but it is only a start. Public higher education is still recovering from years of underfunding by the State with much of the cost burden being shifted to students and their families.
The article concludes:
More State funding is critical for UC, CSU and the community colleges. It is also essential that State Budget allocations be ongoing and predictable. Too often, higher education has borne the brunt of dips in State revenue and its boom and bust fiscal rollercoaster. It has been too easy for decision-makers in Sacramento to sacrifice higher education funding whenever there is a Budget shortfall. That’s why per student State funding is still only fraction of what it was thirty years ago. Higher education fuels California’s good times and provides the essentials of productivity and innovation that enable us to reverse the bad times.
Governor Newsom deserves credit for a great start for higher education in his first Budget proposal. Now, the Governor and Legislature can roll up their sleeves to fill in the gaps and make sure that our outstanding higher education system has the resources needed for it to continue as the finest in the world.
http://fundhighered.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/CPHE_Logo-1030x365.png00Fund Higher Edhttp://fundhighered.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/CPHE_Logo-1030x365.pngFund Higher Ed2019-01-22 22:15:482019-01-22 22:28:48Op-Ed from Our Co-Chairs: Governor’s Higher Education Funding Proposal Off to a Good Start
The entire education system and especially post-secondary education is charged with the monumental task of producing educated people who are informed, up to date, trained and enthusiastic about being part of the thriving whole. To be successful, a long-term view incorporating visionary, inclusive initiatives to improve higher education in California is required.
In other words, we must think big and be unapologetically bold.
California has significant challenges in workforce readiness, equity and poverty. But we start our next four-year chapter with a new governor, new education leaders and opportunities to improve education across the board and put in place ways to open the doors to higher education for all.
Data supporting the need to start this chapter with bold moves to improve California higher education is on the brink of being overwhelming. Not only is the country facing a skilled workforce shortage, but the future job market will require that more than 65 percent of workers possess a college degree or credential by 2020.
Such daunting realities clearly demand solutions that accommodate college-ready high schoolers, returning veterans and workers who need enhanced skills for economic mobility.
Keeping ahead of poverty is yet another proof point in the case for improving higher education in California, the state with 7.4 million people living in poverty.
The op-ed concludes:
All of these factors make it clear higher education is the lynchpin to our future. Now, as we enter a new era of leadership, we have a chance to be bold with solutions to ensure that the future is bright for Californians and the state economy alike.
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On Dec. 7, 2018, CALMatters published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “How Newsom could create a new golden era for higher education.” Here’s an excerpt:
Pat Brown was a true champion of higher education, but Jerry Brown has never made support for the University of California or the Cal State system a big part of his agenda.
Now, incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom has the potential to pick up the mantle and, once again, make higher education a top state priority.
Californians get it. A new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California found that most voters say that there is not enough state funding for higher education. Three-quarters of the electorate believes that higher education should be a high priority for our new governor.
Newsom has said that a significant increase in the investment in higher education is high on his agenda. With the state’s fiscal health in good shape, that should be possible.
The article concludes:
Boosting higher education funding would be a good start. But the new governor should address the future of our public higher education system and its integral role in the well-being of all Californians.
There is much to be done:
* Restore per-student state funding to traditional levels. * Assure a stable, ongoing revenue flow from the state that will enable our higher education institutions to plan and grow responsibly. * Make a long-term commitment for new classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, technology and other infrastructure needs that will reverse years of neglect and provide state of the art facilities on our campuses. * Harness new technology to enhance the educational experience, increase productivity and provide additional avenues for more Californians to access our higher education system.
If Gov. Newsom and Legislature, in concert with the leadership of UC, CSU and the community colleges—seriously tackle these challenges, the Newsom years could become a new golden age for California higher education.
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On Aug. 7, 2018, The Capitol Morning Report published a column from David Pierpont Gardner, who served as president of the University of California from 1983 to 1992, titled, “Gov. Deukmejian and UC: A Unique Partnership.” Here’s an excerpt:
The Governor and I met at his request in Los Angeles two months after my appointment as President (1983). After lunch, and in response to his question, I informed him that significant numbers of UC’s faculty were being recruited away from the University and we weren’t having much luck in stemming the tide. I also pointed out that the heart of the University is its faculty and the overall quality of any University depends mostly upon the quality of its faculty. I also noted that the overall quality of the University of California, taking all nine campuses together, was without parallel anywhere in the world.
After lunch, and following a 20-minute conversation, I provided him with specific examples of the problem. He then turned to his budget officer for the dollars we would be talking about if State funds were to be used to stem this loss. With that information, and encouragement from me to increase salaries in one year rather than two or three years as he had earlier suggested, he directed his budget officer to make provision in the upcoming 1984-85 budget for an 18 percent increase in faculty salaries.
After a similar conversation of about 45 minutes as to the condition of our grounds and buildings, libraries, classrooms, clinics and the like, the Governor directed his budget officer to include an increase of 30 percent in UC’s general budget for the 1984-85 fiscal year, including increases for the staff and a modest reduction in student tuitions. By the end of the 1985-1986 fiscal year, all of what UC had lost over the previous 16 years had been made up. The University’s capital budget also rose by 1500 percent during Deukmejian’sadministration as well.
Throughout our conversation over lunch that memorable day, I was impressed with the depth of the Governor’s questions, his knowledge of the subject, the always informal and supportive comments from his three closest advisers and his gentle courtesy to all, including me. What a day!
This reinvestment in UC transcended political expediency and defied political calculation. It was a bold and utterly surprising move that rescued a great University and all it has come to mean for California’s standing in the nation and the world. Deukmejian did it — with the help of the rebounding California economy — without raising taxes.
The clear lesson of his political legacy is that governors matter. So do the values they bring to office. Deukmejian’s included a respect for education’s transformative power in creating the climate of opportunity that distinguishes our society from so many others. Unfailingly dedicated to the welfare of the State as a whole, he was always informed, honest, straightforward, thorough, and as good as his word when once committed. Working with him was sheer pleasure. George Deukmejian was a great man who made a lasting difference to the State and to its world-famous University of California. His passing is a loss to both.
On May 21, 2018, Fox & Hounds published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “Next Governor Must Step Up on Higher Education.” Here’s an excerpt:
State support for public higher education has had its ups and downs in the almost three decades since Governor Deukmejian left office. Per pupil State funding is about half what it was during the Deukmejian years. UC and CSU have taken big hits as the State experienced fiscal crises as the economy has had its ups and downs. UC and CSU funding levels were recovering under Governor Gray Davis, until the Great Recession when the bottom fell out. A considerable portion of the revenue burden for UC and CSU has been shifted to students and their families in the form of increased tuition and fees.
While Governor Jerry Brown and the Legislature have gradually increased higher education funding in recent years, this has never been this Governor’s top priority. His latest May Revise Budget proposal falls some $200 million short of the modest requests made by UC and CSU. Fortunately, there seems to be momentum building in the Legislature for “full funding” in the 2018-19 State Budget.
Whatever happens this year, there is need for a comprehensive approach to assure adequate, stable funding for all three pillars of California’s higher education system. Hand to mouth funding cripples our campuses and undermines the need to provide access for tens of thousands of Californians and to produce the educated work force that drives the state’s economy. Significant increases in tuition and fees won’t provide the answer. The State needs to step up its commitment.
So far, in this year’s gubernatorial campaign, we have heard talk about free tuition, but no concrete plans to provide the funding needed to enable our campuses to grow and maintain top academic standards, while serving the growing pool of qualified high school graduates. Higher education needs to be a priority in this campaign and going forward. Californians are counting on our next Governor to provide new vision and leadership on higher education.
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On April 19, 2018, Fox & Hounds published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “California Leads in Promoting Higher Education Equality.” Here’s an excerpt:
In his column in The New York Times, former New York City Schools Chancellor Harold Levy wrote “there is no easy fix. Creating economically diverse campuses is complicated and costly. Higher education did not cause and will not cure economic inequality. But as colleges struggle to come up with the right formula, the odds against children who come from families earning the median income or less actually graduating from college seem to grow more formidable.”
California’s higher education system is working to beat those odds with significant success in providing opportunity for young men and women at every rung of the economic spectrum and in achieving unprecedented diversity. At a time when State revenues are quite healthy, the Governor and the Legislature can take another step to improve those odds by fully funding UC, CSU and the community colleges in the 2018-19 State Budget now wending its way through the legislative process.
The op-ed points out the three pillars of California’s public higher education system—UC, California State University, and the community colleges—are making progress that should be a model for the nation:
Results speak for themselves:
More than half of undergraduates at CSU campuses receive federal Pell Grants targeted to students from lower income families.
At UC, 38% of undergraduates qualify for Pell Grants and 42% are first in their family to attend college. UC Berkeley and UCLA each serve more Pell Grant students than the entire Ivy League combined.
California’s community colleges serve more than two million students
Read the complete op-ed on the the Fox & Hounds website.
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Statement by Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine—Co-chairs California Coalition for Public Higher Education:
Although this Budget proposal includes very modest increases for the University of California, California State University, and the community colleges, these are well below the increase in the General Fund. In other words, higher education’s share of the State General Fund would actually decrease. This budget proposal is a step in the wrong direction, ignoring the need to enroll more California students on our campuses. It is unrealistic and counterproductive to ask our great higher education system to do more with less.
On Jan. 5, 2018, Fox & Hounds published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “Higher Education Adds Up.” Here’s an excerpt:
The numbers tell the story. California’s high schools are turning out more college eligible students than ever before and our community colleges, the University of California and the California State University system are making headway to accommodate increased demand. The only lagging indicator is State funding for UC and CSU.
The op-ed concludes:
Even as our public higher system is making strides in serving growing demand without diminishing educational qualify, the State remains far behind in supporting these institutions. Per student State funding for the community colleges is up about $1,000 from historic highs, but CSU per student funding is down about 20% and UC per student funding is about half of what it was 30 years ago. This has shifted much of the cost burden to students and their families.
To their credit, Governor Brown and the Legislature have stopped the bleeding and made modest increases in higher education funding in recent years, but there is a long way to go.
On Nov. 8, 2017, Fox & Hounds published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “Californians Value Public Higher Education.” Here’s an excerpt:
A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 56 percent of the state’s residents think that affordability is a big problem in California’s public colleges and universities. Three-quarters of Californians think the price of college keeps qualified and motivated students from attending and 79 percent worry that students must borrow too much money to pay for their college education.
One major source of the college affordability problem is the State’s pull back from funding higher education. Per pupil funding is down about 40% from where it was in 1977 for the University of California and by more than 20 percent for the California State University system. Much of the burden for the shortfall in State funding has been borne by students and their families in the form of sharply increased tuition and fees.
We all pay a price for failure to adequately invest in higher education. PPIC estimates that California’s economy will require an additional 1.1 million college graduates by 2030, when almost 40 percent of jobs will require a college degree. California’s thriving economy is built on the innovations, creativity and productivity of an educated workforce. Without enough college graduates, the state’s economy is bound to falter.
The op-ed concludes:
The erosion of State support for higher education took place over decades, but we do not have decades to accommodate the young California men and women who want and deserve a first-rate college education. We don’t have decades to provide the educated workforce needed to maintain our economic vitality. Piecemeal increases won’t do the trick. We need a solid commitment for the State to do its share for higher education once again.
On June 9, 2017, Fox & Hounds published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “The University of California Doesn’t Need Fixing.” Here’s an excerpt:
For more than 50 years, under California’s Master Plan for Higher Education, UC has been the linchpin of the finest public higher education system in the world. One of the things that has made UC work so well is its independence from political command and control. The independent Board of Regents—appointed by the Governor with the consent of the State Senate—is UC’s governing body. Now some legislators are making proposals to greatly weaken the independence of the Regents by shortening their terms and taking over budgetary controls.
UC governance is hardly in need of a makeover. The University of California is the best in the country and the world by virtually every count. In the latest rankings of public universities by U.S. News and World Report, UC campuses occupied six of the top ten slots—headed by UC Berkeley Number 1 and UCLA number 2. When it comes to providing the greatest opportunity and economic diversity, the recent New York Times measurement of colleges doing the most for the American Dream” placed five UC campuses at the head of the list.
There is a constant frustration that more California students can’t be admitted to the campus of their choice. That problem is really the product of decades of under-funding by the State, which has inhibited growth in capacity and forced a greater reliance on fees and tuition. Per student State support for UC remains little more than a third of what it was forty years ago. Over the past decade, UC’s share of the State General Fund is down 14%. Like the California State University system and the community colleges, UC has been forced to do more with less.
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On May 1, 2017, Joe Mathews, Connecting California columnist and editor, Zócalo Public Square, fellow at the Center for Social Cohesion at Arizona State University and co-author of California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It (UC Press, 2010), published an opinion on the Fox & Hounds website. Here’s an excerpt:
Thank you, Berkeley.
Recent headlines should remind Californians of yet another way we are lucky. Our state has the world’s best scapegoat: you.
You—our most distinguished public university and all the people, institutions and neighborhoods surrounding it — do far more than research and educate. You serve the vital social purpose of being a convenient punching bag for angry people of all manner of ideological preoccupations.
The right and the center can pin all of California’s liberal sins, real and imagined, on you. And the left sees a reactionary threat in everything, from your fundraising, to police action on or near campus, to the presence of law professor John Yoo, who defended torture under President George W. Bush. Sometimes you’re denounced as dangerously permissive, and other times you’re frighteningly authoritarian.
And when it comes to higher education’s struggles, legislators on both sides of the aisle blame you for everything: You’re too arrogant, and you charge too much and you let in too many out-of-state students—even though the need to pocket that higher out-of-state tuition is the direct result of the legislature’s systematic disinvestment in you and your sister university campuses across California.
Yes, California as a whole takes a lot of critical blows. But can you imagine how more bloodied the rest of our state would be if we didn’t have you around to absorb so much abuse?
Read the complete article on the Fox & Hounds website.
On March 22, 2017, Fox & Hounds published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “Adequate Cal State Funding Can Ease Teacher Shortage.” Here’s an excerpt:
California has a severe shortage of teachers and one of the reasons we aren’t producing more instructors is the failure to adequately fund the California State University system—the primary pipeline for training members of the teaching profession.
Numbers tell the story. This state ranks last in the country in teacher to student ratios. We are 100,000 teachers short of what it would take just to get up to the national average. And it will take another 106,000 teachers over the next ten years to simply keep up current staffing levels. A survey of California school districts found that 75% are experiencing teacher shortages. Obviously, we are going to have to bring more trained teachers into the system and that is where CSU comes in.
CSU prepares more California teachers than all other institutions combined and nearly 8 percent of the nation’s teachers overall. The Cal State system is our best source of K-12 teachers and the key to improving the performance of our schools. One of the reasons California pool of qualified teachers in not large enough is the State’s chronic underfunding of CSU and the University of California.
At UC, about 40% of undergraduates pay no tuition at all. Middle-income students are partially subsidized and most families with an annual income above $125,000 pay full tuition. A recent study shows the effects of this university-designed redistribution: As many as 78% of students who enrolled in the 1990s at major public universities have seen their status improve, moving from the bottom fifth of national income to the top three-fifths. Access to education does lead to low-income families finding a path out of poverty.
Society, through significant cuts in public support, is decreasing its prioritization of higher education. Rather than every taxpayer bearing the cost of making public higher education widely available, wealthier families with college-age children are subsidizing less fortunate families. This scenario is neither equitable nor socially optimal. The benefits of access are shared by society as a whole; the costs should be shared as well.
There is another problem with the way we are making higher education accessible. Tuition is not rising by a large enough amount to replace the significant decreases in state support. Faculty, program and infrastructure cuts are hurting the quality of education.
Public higher education in the U.S is not too expensive, but the balance between cost, price and redistribution is tenuous. If legislatures — and voters — further lower their prioritization of higher education, the system itself will be at risk. Not only will fewer low-income students gain access to the advantages of a college education, the quality of public higher education in the U.S., which has long been recognized as the best such system in the world, will surely erode.
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On Feb. 6, 2017, Fox & Hounds published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “Higher Education Is A State Responsibility.” Here’s an excerpt:
Both the University of California and the California State University system are in the process of instituting increases in tuition and fees to help maintain educational quality and keep the doors open to worthy students. Both systems are acting responsibly, but these increases also underscore the failure of the State to do its part in funding higher education.
In the last decade, per student support for UC in the State Budget has fallen almost 40% CSU per student funding has dropped by almost 25% in the same period. UC per student funding is barely a third of what it was 25 years ago. This kind of anemic funding cannot sustain the finest public education system in the world.
California has long benefited from its Master Plan for Higher Education that established a framework for excellence and accessibility at the University of California, the California State University system, and the community colleges. The opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Californians to go to college at minimal cost has fueled the state’s prosperity. It is no coincidence that California now has the world’s sixth largest economy.
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A new opinion piece from our co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine ran on Fox & Hounds on November 21, 2016. Here’s an excerpt:
The State’s coffers are in good shape. The Legislative Analyst projects an $11 billion surplus in 2017-18, including $2.8 billion in discretionary reserves that the Legislature can approve for any purposes. At least half of that discretionary money should be reinvested in California’s system of public higher education.
On November 8, voters approved measures that will provide billions of dollars in additional revenue that will be earmarked for K-12 education, housing and healthcare. Not only was Proposition 55 passed to extend income tax rates on higher brackets, but the voters also substantially boosted tobacco taxes and opened up a new revenue stream with legalization of recreational use of marijuana. Local voters also passed additional sales taxes for transportation and housing projects. This revenue influx should give the Legislature and the Governor room to ramp up the State’s meager investment in public higher education.
Even with some gains in recent years, funding for the University of California and the California State University system has languished far below historic levels. Per pupil State spending for UC dropped from $24,644 in 2000-2001 to $12,709 in 2014-15 according to the Public Policy Institute of California. At CSU the drop for the same period has been from $9,393 to $7,916 per student. Much of that decline in State funding has forced substantial increases in tuition and fees. Tuition is now more than three times what it was 15 years ago at both institutions. And both UC and CSU are considering new tuition increases for the first time in six years. That won’t be necessary if Sacramento decision-makers step up to the plate.
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A new opinion piece from our co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine ran in Fox & Hounds on September 19, 2016. Here’s an excerpt:
UC Berkeley and UCLA sit atop the new U.S. News and World Report rankings of the top public universities in the nation. Six of the top ten public universities are UC schools, and all nine UC campuses made the list of America’s best public universities. UC Merced, the newest UC campus, joined the list for the first time. The University’s excellence should be a source of pride to all Californians, but that achievement is not something that we can afford to take for granted.
Football teams can’t stand on their laurels, and neither can top flight universities. Higher education institutions have to compete for the best faculty and students. They require up-to-date curricula, facilities and equipment. They have to adapt to changing cultural and economic realities, and they have to keep up with the growth in qualified applicants. The incoming class at UC will be the most diverse in history, in the context of the university adding almost 8,000 more California students than last year. All these actions must be accomplished within the framework of increasingly constrained finances.
The miracle is that UC has been able to maintain its high standing and performance throughout the system in the face of decades of reduced State funding. Per pupil State funding is half of what it was in the 1980s.
Read the complete article, “UC Stays on Top,” on the Fox & Hounds website.
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A new opinion piece from Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine ran in Fox & Hounds on June 23, 2016. Here’s an excerpt:
We can’t afford to take public higher education for granted when the State sets its Budget priorities.
Over the past several decades, there has been an unfortunate pattern of raiding higher education funding when the State gets into a fiscal jam. During the Great Recession, California’s community colleges lost $1.5 billion in State funding from 2008-09 to 2011-12. That lost revenue forced a 25% reduction in course offerings and shut 500,000 students out of the classroom. Fortunately, in the last few State Budget cycles, the community colleges have received healthy increases and it is imperative that this trend continues.
Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine released this statement on the June 9, 2016, Budget Agreement:
BUDGET AGREEMENT PROVIDES LIMITED HELP FOR HIGHER ED
“When it comes to higher education, the Budget deal between the Governor and the Legislative leaders should be graded as “incomplete” commented Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, Co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education. Instead of providing a significant increase to fund new enrollment, this Budget offers only crumbs, while requiring both UC and CSU to do more with less. Our community colleges, CSU and UC provide avenues of opportunity for Californians. The powers that be in Sacramento shouldn’t take short-sighted steps that stunt the growth and quality of the world’s best public higher education system.”
The Budget agreement announced by the Governor and legislative leaders on June 9 provides only limited increases in spending for UC and CSU. The University of California will receive an $18.5 boost in ongoing General Fund support, contingent upon achieving enrollment goals for California students. In addition, UC will receive a one-time allocations of $20 million for programs to increase enrollment of low income students and $22 million for the UC Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. CSU will receive an additional $12.5 million in on-going General Fund support plus a one-time boost of $25 million aimed at improving graduation rates. CSU had indicated an additional $100 million would be needed to meet enrollment demands.
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A new opinion piece from Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine ran in The Sacramento Bee on June 7, 2016. Here’s an excerpt:
There is a strong consensus that more eligible in-state students should be admitted to the University of California campus of their choice.
But some legislators have the wrongheaded idea that the way to accommodate more deserving Californians is to exclude out-of-state students, and they have pushed this notion into the budget process instead of restoring the state funding needed to increase UC enrollment.
A new opinion piece from Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine ran in Fox & Hounds on May 24, 2016. Here’s an excerpt:
The University of California is the Golden State’s ultimate success story, but there is always room for improvement. Certainly, there is broad consensus around the goals of admitting more California students and for increasing diversity. These goals, however, are not going to be advanced by legislative micro-managing and more shortfalls in State financial support for UC and the California State University system.
The latest example of misguided meddling is an out of the blue proposal for a six-year plan to increase UC enrollment of California residents by 30,000, while reducing the number of out of state students by 10,000 and further reducing the State funding per student. The devil is in the details or, in some cases, the lack of details.
A new opinion piece from Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine ran in Fox & Hounds on May 2, 2016. Here’s a excerpt:
The University of California is arguably the finest public higher education institution in the world and one of this state’s premier assets. The last thing we need is to politicize the governance of UC, but that is exactly what would happen under an ill-conceived legislative proposal to impose term limits on the UC Board of Regents.
SCA1 would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment to reduce the terms of Regents from 12 years to four years and to effectively purge the Board of its most senior members. Lawmakers should know better considering the track record of legislative term limits in California. Maybe it is because so many legislators are relative newcomers to the process that they sometimes fail to grasp importance of the University’s relative independence from the rough and tumble of the political arena.
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A new opinion piece from Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine ran in Fox & Hounds on April 8, 2016. Here’s a excerpt:
We need to open doors wider at the University of California to allow more Californians in, but proposed legislation to limit out of state enrollment at UC campuses is misguided and counterproductive….
In opposing AB 1711, Assemblyman Das Williams of Santa Barbara got it right when he said, “the Legislature and the Governor massively cut UC and CSU funding, and yet, we have sort of expected that there wouldn’t be dramatic, bad consequences”.
In the last few years, Governor Brown and the Legislature have begun to edge funding up for UC and the California State University system, but those increases do not begin to make up for decades of fiscal neglect. At a time when State revenues are coming in ahead of projections, it makes perfect sense for the decision-makers in Sacramento to invest at least another $100 million a year in both UC and CSU. That’s enough money to make a real difference in the lives and prospects of thousands of young Californians.
“What’s next for Berkeley and UC?” asks the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board. Here’s an excerpt of the Feb. 23, 2016 editorial:
The grand disagreement between Gov. Jerry Brown and University of California President Janet Napolitano has never been resolved. There have been some cease-fires, one showdown and a couple of deals struck. But the deeper argument remains: What sort of institution should the University of California be in the years ahead?
Will it continue to be the gem of the California public education system, admired and emulated throughout the world, or must it shrink its ambitions and its offerings as its state funding continues to decline? Can its most selective campuses continue to attract applications from the highest-achieving students in the nation and the world, and is that even desirable? Or should its undergraduate programs be reserved mostly for California residents? Will large numbers of students be funneled into massive online courses that are less educationally sound? Who is going to pay for the large and increasing numbers of low-income students who receive a full tuition ride to UC?
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A new opinion article from Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine addresses the news from UC Berkeley that one of the world’s great research universities is facing a $150 million deficit. Here’s an excerpt from the February 22, 2016 article:
What is happening at UC Berkeley is symptomatic of what all of the University of California, the California State University system and our community colleges face. Deep cuts in State support for public higher education have only been partially restored in the last few years. Tuition and fees have been forced upward and all three segments of our public higher education system have been constrained in their ability to accommodate the needs of tens of thousands of qualified California students.
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The Sacramento Bee featured an op-ed, “Invest in California’s Future, Reinvest in Higher Education,” by California Coalition for Public Higher Education co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine on January 30, 2016. Here’s an excerpt:
In his State of the State address, Gov. Jerry Brown rightly stressed fiscal prudence and the financial uncertainties posed by future recessions, pension liabilities and unpredictable revenue levels. What he didn’t mention was the challenge posed by a growing skills gap that threatens California’s ability to compete and prosper in a changing economy.
As important as a substantial rainy-day fund is, a robust higher education system is critical to maintaining California’s fiscal health and weathering those inevitable economic storms.
For more than two decades, public higher education has been the neglected step-child in California’s budget process. That has begun to change in the last few years, but budgeteers need to step up their game a lot more.
A new blog post from Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine appeared in Fox & Hounds on Oct. 14, 2015. Below is an excerpt of “California Higher Ed Still Number One, But Can We Stay On Top?”:
State funding levels for higher education remain well below where they were before the last major recession. State investment is needed to keep tuition and fees affordable, attract and retain top flight faculty and enable qualified Californians to take advantage of our great schools. The economy has come back in California and State investment in higher education needs to come back, too.
It is imperative that decision-makers in Sacramento not rest on their laurels when it comes to higher education funding. The voters get it. A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 80 percent of voters say that California’s public higher education system is very important to the quality of life and economic vitality of the state over the next twenty years.
One of the arguments in favor of allowing legislators to spend up to twelve years in either the Senate or Assembly is that lawmakers will be able to focus on the longer term. There is no better place to start than carving out a State funding plan that assures that our higher education system remains on top and continues to be a major engine of growth and opportunity in California.
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In the Times of San Diego on August 18, 2015, Chris Jennewein’s opinion article addresses one area California is “unquestionably the world leader — higher education.” Here’s an excerpt:
In a widely followed ranking of world universities that emphasizes the sciences, six California institutions were ranked among the top 20. Stanford, Caltech, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego and UCSF all made the list.
The 2015 Academic Ranking of World Universities was released Monday by the Center for World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, a public research university located in China. There are many other rankings, but this one is considered one of the most authoritative, especially for the sciences.
The U.S. leads the list overall, accounting for 16 of the 20. The United Kingdom boasts three, and New York and Massachusetts each count two. But California stands head and shoulders above the rest of the United States and the world with nearly a third of the top institutions.
How can this be? Three reasons come to mind: a history of public and private investment in higher education, an openness to immigrants and an innovation economy.
On June 24, 2015, the LA Daily News ran a column by Joe Mathews on funding for California’s system of public higher education. Here’s an excerpt:
The biggest force luring people to California over our history has been our abundance of cheap, high-quality public education. California pioneered such educational access very early — by 1912, Berkeley was already the largest public university in the world. University degrees on the cheap were a great money saver; we stole away smart people from other places and only had to subsidize four years of their education (instead of 13 years in K-12).
The result of this policy: for most of the 20th century, Californians weren’t just better looking than other Americans — we were smarter too, with the highest rate of college graduates. But, then in the second half of the 20th century, we forgot what we had. The state locked in lower tax rates and higher spending by ballot measure, at the expense of public investment in our world-class university system. The universities made it up by adding tuition fees. Today, we Californians still look great — but we’re not as smart. We’ve fallen out of the top 10 of U.S. states by percentage of adults with college degrees.
A June 15, 2015, column in the Los Angeles Times asserts that, “Anyone concerned about America’s future generations has to be dismayed at the condition of public higher education.” Here’s an excerpt:
Government disinvestment in public universities is producing “a dystopia of inequality in which community and state colleges are starved, and flagships serve up vacation resorts for the rich who can afford to attend,”economist Mike Konczal of the Roosevelt Institute wrote recently. “This is a problem, because public colleges and universities educate around 70% of all students.”
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When Governor Jerry Brown announced his May revision of the 2015-16 State Budget proposal, there was good news for public higher education campuses. Community colleges will receive about $250 million in additional funding and the California State University system will receive an additional $38 million for operations plus another $35 million for energy improvements. The University of California will benefit from transfers to help meet unfunded pension liabilities–$96 million for 2015-16 and $170 million in each of the following two years. UC tuition will be held at current levels for the next two years.
“The Governor’s revised Budget proposal marks a significant step forward in recognizing the critical importance of our public higher education system and providing increased financial stability for the University of California, the California State University system and our community colleges, while holding the line on tuition and fees,” commented Mel Levine and Dick Ackerman, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education. “The next step must be to provide additional funding to allow our campuses to open their doors to more students, particularly qualified California applicants.”
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A new op-ed from California Coalition for Public Higher Education co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine was published May 12, 2015 on Fox and Hounds. Below is a excerpt:
It’s that time of year again in Sacramento as the temperature begins to heat up along with the business of putting together the 2015-16 State Budget. This week, Governor Brown will lay out his revised Budget blueprint based on up-dated revenue results and projections. That’s when the real deliberations can begin.
The Budget plan unveiled by the Governor in January, in accordance with legal requirements, is something of a straw man. As usual with Jerry Brown, revenue estimates in the January plan were conservative, to say the least. The Governor is generally not a big spender and does everything he can to keep money off the table and expectations low , as interest groups and constituencies line up to plead for their share of General Fund dollars.
One area that fell short in the January budget proposal is higher education, specifically the University of California and the California State University system. That plan provides about $100 million each for UC and CSU in already pledged dollars that had been contingent on passage of Proposition 30—the Governor’s temporary tax increase initiative. This proposal leaves an almost $100 million dollar hole in the CSU 2015-16. It also makes the UC dollars contingent on a roll back in UC tuition hikes proposed in the event that the State doesn’t come up with adequate funding. Hopefully, the May revise will correct those deficiencies.
It is no secret that past fiscal crises in Sacramento hit the public higher education system hard. The State is paying far less of a share for UC and CSU than it did two decades ago. One consequence of that drop in State support has been sharp increases in tuition and fees for both systems. There is no question that students and their families are shouldering a bigger burden than they have in the past. Our public higher education institutions have learned how to do more with less and both UC and CSU are spending less per graduate than they have in the past. That said, there are clear signs that our public four-year campuses are feeling the pinch. Some of the best educators and researchers are being lured away in the wake of fiscal uncertainties at California schools. It is becoming more difficult to recruit the best and brightest faculty. Students are finding it more difficult to find the classes they need, while thousands of qualified applicants are being turned away.
The State can afford to kick in more. State revenues for the first quarter of this year were $1.3 billion above projections. Assembly Speaker had predicted that 2014-15 revenue may come in as much as $8 billion above the amount budgeted. Sure, K-12 and community colleges are entitled to the lion’s share of those dollars—not necessarily a bad thing—and paying down past debts is worthwhile, but there should be room to kick in an additional $100 million each for UC and CSU.
An opinion piece by Harold Schmitz, the chief scientist at Mars Inc., and a visiting professor at the Graduate School of Management at UC Davis, appeared in The Sacramento Bee on April 4, 2015. Here’s an excerpt:
Amid all the headline-grabbing talk about the value of public higher education, about taxpayer support for education or the lack of it, about what’s in it for us and why we should care, there’s a pie-in-the-sky word – innovation – that needs some grounding in the here and now.
I’m the chief scientist of Mars Inc. – a diverse global food company headquartered near Washington, D.C. Where my colleagues and I have established ourselves, however, is on the University of California’s Davis campus.
Why did Mars choose UC Davis above all other universities in the world? Because this public powerhouse is the best place to discover ways to improve the health of all three of our primary consumers: people, dogs and cats. It’s home to the world’s best agricultural school and ideally positioned to find ways to create sustainable supply chains for our key raw materials, including cacao, corn, peanuts, tomatoes and rice.
UC Davis’ expertise in management, economics, law, engineering and many other areas is vital for companies such as Mars to innovate successfully. And being connected to the larger University of California system with its vast array of faculty expertise and graduate talent is critical to innovation in industry. Being in Davis also places us next to the world’s leading innovation cluster in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, which faces the emerging markets of Asia.
Schmitz reinforced the importance of funding higher education:
We all need to play a role in this crucial mission. If we make the terrible mistake of starving our public universities today – of talent, of helpful outside partners, of the necessary financial resources – we might literally starve future generations.
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Below is an excerpt of an op-ed from UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on April 3, 2015.
Right now, Californians contribute about seven percent of UC San Diego’s nearly four-billion-dollar budget, a percentage that has fallen steadily over the last decade as the state continues to “dis-invest” in higher education….
Californians’ seven-percent contribution to our budget is drawing, in strictly financial terms, an excellent return on investment. Higher education’s purposes and costs will always generate lively and useful debate, but I hope my fellow residents of California will be persuaded that your investments come back to you many times over.
Every thriving metropolis across America has major universities helping to fuel economic innovation and growth, not only with ideas, tools, medicines, technologies and spin-offs, but also with equally necessary educated citizens on whom our civil society and economic enterprise depend.
While I agree that our country could benefit from more research universities driving economic growth and global competitiveness, first we must ensure that our current universities receive sound and predictable investments commensurate with the prosperous and promising future that Californians – and all Americans – deserve.
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An opinion pieceby UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Blumenthal,appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 29, 2015. Here’s an excerpt:
As Gov. Jerry Brown and UC President Janet Napolitano spar over the future of the University of California, my question is this: Are we content to offer today’s students, who are more racially and socioeconomically diverse than ever, less than their predecessors received?
Today’s UC system undergraduate population looks like this:
• 40 percent come from families in which neither parent earned a four-year college degree.
• 30 percent transferred from a California community college.
• 42 percent receive federal aid for low-income students — compared with only 15 percent at Ivy League universities.
Public higher education is a transformational force, a major lever that opens the doors of opportunity. Fifty years ago, California’s investment in public higher education reached its apex as three new UC campuses were coming online in Santa Cruz, Irvine and San Diego. UC tuition was virtually nil, and the gates of social mobility were open to all.
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An opinion piece from Michele Siqueiros, president of The Campaign for College Opportunity, was published in Capitol Weekly on March 20, 2015. An excerpt:
Last year, 11,183 eligible students were denied admission to the University of California campuses to which they applied and were placed in a referral pool for UC Merced — where only 240 actually enrolled. The California State University system is turning away tens of thousands of eligible freshmen and transfer students alike. And both the UC and CSU campuses have raised admission standards for students in response – making it harder for high school grads today to earn a spot in college than it was for previous generations….
Our Governor and legislators must act first to honor the long-standing promise of a college education for all qualified California students by sufficiently funding our state’s public colleges and universities to meet capacity. Our colleges and universities must then maintain the confidence of the California voters, parents and students that tax and tuition dollars are being well spent.
The debate on whether or not to fund college enrollment when student and workforce demand is so high, is short-sighted. It’s time to rise above the annual budget debates and get serious about long-term, serious investments in higher education and the very people who will lead our state into the future.
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