Chancellor Albert Carnesale
By Christian Mignot
Daily Bruin Contributor
Problems with the University of California budget as a result of
the fragile state economy may not be as bad as many suspect, said
Chancellor Albert Carnesale.
The 8 percent budget cut the campus may experience over the next
two years is no certainty, the chancellor quickly pointed out
Friday in a press conference with the Daily Bruin.
But all departments have been asked to prepare for cuts
nevertheless. If the cuts occur, Carnesale said, they would be made
in such a way as to preserve the academic quality of programs.
“If I thought that all (areas) would have to suffer the
same amount from the cut, I think the cut would be in areas other
than those related directly to the quality of our teaching programs
or our research programs,” he said.
The poor economy has also impacted faculty salaries. According
to a partnership plan between the governor and the UC, professors
are to receive a 4-percent salary increase every year.
But with less money available for funding the plan this year,
faculty and staff members received only 1.5 percent salary
raises.
The increase was guaranteed to faculty only as long as the state
could afford it, Carnesale said.
“Unlike many other state agencies, the university is
getting more money than what we got last year, not less,” he
said. “While we certainly would like to have more and
certainly have the need for more, we should still understand that
we are being treated by the government and the legislature as a
very high priority.”
The chancellor also said the recruitment and retention of
students, faculty and staff will be the principal challenge faced
by the university over the next five years.
Working to provide competitive financial aid packages and
scholarships will be key for recruiting students, but the
university must also attract senior administrators, he said.
Executive Vice Chancellor Wyatt Rory Hume announced in early
January that he was taking a position to head the University of New
South Wales in Australia. Also, former vice chancellor of student
affairs, Winston Doby, accepted the position of vice president of
educational outreach for the UC and began his new job in
January.
If cuts were to go forward, the task of retaining and recruiting
the “best people” would be more difficult, Carnesale
said.
The current economic crisis has further produced talk about the
possibility of raising student fees. Since the last student fee
raise seven years ago, the state government has provided for the
difference, but this year may be a different story.
The governor’s budget this year did not include the $33.6
million formerly included to prevent a student fee increase.
“There is no question that the UC is still the bargain in
the world for education,” Carnesale said, should a fee hike
occur. “So it’s not a question of whether we would be
overcharging.”
The chancellor also spoke about academic policies implemented
this year to speed graduation rates, such as minimum progress
requirements. Such changes would benefit the university by reducing
the amount of people in classes, he said.
Carnesale said he supported a serious review of whether to
switch from a quarter to semester system, noting that he’s
only heard faculty members say they believe students learn more
under the semester system.