UC Provost asks governor to forgo all cuts to the university’s budget | Opinion
The University of California was founded more than 150 years ago with one campus, 10 professors, 40 students and a simple but revolutionary idea: A college education — and its clear benefits — should be accessible to all. That same spirit still guides the UC today.
Since 1869, the UC system has now grown to 10 campuses, more than 295,000 students, 880 degree programs and six academic health centers educating the next generation of healthcare workers and serving millions of patients worldwide.
The UC system is a powerful economic engine, supercharging California with $82 billion in economic output each year and recently becoming the state’s second largest employer. The university system graduates thousands of students who will become the state’s future leaders and innovators.
Despite these contributions, the UC system faces unprecedented challenges from a proposed $130 million state budget cut, $271 million in deferred state funds and hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grant cancellations — all at the same time. As these budget pressures compound, our ability to deliver on its access, affordability and student success goals is diminished.
As part of the 2022 budget compact with Gov. Gavin Newsom, the UC system committed to increasing enrollment of California students and making UC universities more affordable. Because of the state’s ongoing investment, the universities were able to enroll a record number of Californians in fall 2024, and nearly 70% of undergraduates will graduate without student loans this academic year.
While the UC system exceeded the compact’s enrollment targets, the state is now proposing to defer funding for these students, which could mean declining enrollment in future years, fewer class offerings, crowded classrooms, reduced services for first-generation and other struggling students — or all of the above.
California’s future is interlinked with the UC system. That’s why the California Legislature should prioritize investing in the university system. When fully funded, the UC system will continue providing world-class educational opportunities to all students, helping shore up California’s skilled workforce and generating groundbreaking research and discoveries that help California’s economy grow.
We appreciate the governor’s support and his decision to reduce the UC system’s state funding cut at a time when California is facing a multi-billion-dollar deficit. But a $130 million hole in our budget — when coupled with the compact deferral — means campuses will be making painful choices this fall with impacts that will be felt across the state. But it’s not just campuses that will suffer. We estimate a $130 million budget cut to the university will have a $2.7 billion impact on California’s economy and jobs.
The UC system’s federal funding for life-saving biomedical research has already been hit hard — and more cuts are likely. These reductions will slow and even stop life-changing and life-saving medical research, like promising Parkinson’s Disease treatments being discovered at UCSF, or new ways found by UC Davis to improve the lives of ALS patients. Reducing state funds threatens this vital research even further.
The UC system is doing its best to address these challenges by taking proactive cost-cutting steps, but sustained investment from the state and federal government is essential to meeting our core mission. Fully funding UC universities is an investment in our students and in California’s future.
Californians are counting on us; on behalf of the UC system’s 2.5 million students, faculty, staff and alumni, we ask Newsom and the Legislature to forgo all cuts to the university’s budget. Help us continue to serve California through educational opportunity for promising students, groundbreaking research and world-class healthcare.