University of California President Mark Yudof said Thursday August 20, that the financial situation of the university is unlikely to improve in 2010-2011, which will increase the burden on students.
“Fees will go up, probably substantially,” he said. “We won’t be as expensive as, say, Penn State, but we’ll be expensive.“
Yudof’s remarks, made during a visit to the UC Center Sacramento, came between meetings with UC staff and legislative leaders.
Yudof met with State Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass to discuss a range of issues, including the UC budget.
One idea that several people have suggested to Yudof is that the university divert some of the revenue received by its statewide medical facilities, an idea he said isn’t viable.
“The problem with that [idea] is that when someone pays to have their x-ray taken, they expect to get one,” he said. “We can’t just take that money and give it to the Portuguese department.”
Yudof said that the 2010-2011 school year will most likely be just as difficult as the past one due to the state budget shortfalls.
UC, which receives funding through the state general fund, had its budget slashed by $813 million. An additional $335 million in costs not funded by the state brings the total toward $1.15 billion in cuts.
According to Yudof, students will see the consequences of the budget cuts primarily through fee increases, issues with class availability and possibly a reduction in the number of professors being hired.
– Richard Procter and Angela Ruggiero
