UC turns up volume to reach public

By Brad Hayward, UC Office of the President and Paul Schwarz

Who provides health care to more than 3 million patients a year in California? Who is helping to create 2 million jobs for the state over the next decade? And who is playing a leading role in developing new sources of renewable energy?

To educate Californians about the many ways UC improves their lives and benefits the state at a time when deep budget cuts are threatening to diminish access and excellence, UC is undertaking a major push to inform the public about the campuses' many and diverse contributions.

To carry that message, UC is spending $700,000 in private endowment funds — money that does not involve state or student fee funds — to launch a public education campaign via Web advertising on California newspaper and other news sites; radio spots on National Public Radio stations in major markets in the state; and placements in print and electronic vehicles. There's also a new UC Web site with an informational video about UC's contributions, at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/ucthewayforward.

"The educational quality of the University of California is widely recognized. But the broader societal benefits of UC, and its active presence in communities beyond the boundaries of its campuses, are not as well-known or understood," said Katherine N. Lapp, UC executive vice president for business operations.

To alert legislators and policymakers about the potential for serious harm to the state's economy and future, representatives from the three public higher education systems have teamed up in a first-ever joint public education campaign aimed at helping the public and people in power understand how important the state's investment in public higher education is to California's economy, and to California's short- and long-term well-being.

On April 28, the leaders of UC, the California Community Colleges and the California State University made a rare joint visit to the state Capitol to urge policymakers to resist deep budget cuts for public higher education.

UC President Robert C. Dynes and Provost Wyatt R. Hume joined California Community Colleges Chancellor Diane Woodruff and CSU Chancellor Charles Reed in urging the governor and the Legislature to provide the necessary funding to support greater academic opportunity for the next generation of Californians and to ensure the state's economic vitality.

"This unprecedented collaboration among our three institutions underscores the severity of the proposed cuts and their potentially devastating effects on the people of this state, now and for years to come," said Reed. "If we want California to be competitive in the global economy, then funding for higher education needs to be a top fiscal priority."

If adopted, the proposed cuts would mean severe hardship for students: Tens of thousands of qualified students would be denied a spot in college or be unable to make progress toward a degree or certificate. The proposed budget would leave the community colleges without the resources to serve more than 50,000 students next year.

Both the CSU and UC are already over-enrolled by 10,000 and 4,000 students, respectively. CSU has already been forced to turn away 10,000 qualified students for the coming fall semester, and UC may not be able to increase enrollment at all the following year, leaders said.

Student fee increases are being considered by CSU, and the UC regents will take up the issue when they meet on May 14-15 at UCLA.