UC Regents discuss possible 32 percent tuition increase
At the May UC Board of Regents meeting, the regents discussed raising UC tuition by 32 percent beginning in Winter 2012 if an all-cuts budget is passed.
If Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed tax extensions do not pass, the UC budget cuts will double from the $500 million cut already signed into law.
If UC tuition were raised by 32 percent, UC Davis fees would be roughly $17,303 per year, compared to the 2010-11 fees of $13,079.91.
This tuition raise was among other long-term financial plans that the regents looked at Wednesday, pending an all-cuts budget.
The regents discussed charging different tuitions at each UC campus in order to fight the budget cuts. However, this controversial idea had some regents worried that varying tuitions would create inequality amongst the different UC campuses.
At the Tuesday meeting, UC President Mark Yudof acknowledged that the regents have difficult decisions to make regarding the UC system.
“The UC has already been asked to absorb a variety of deep cuts over the last three years,” Yudof said. “And we have strived to maintain our bar-setting quality while also instituting a magnitude of lay-offs, furloughs, hiring freezes and numerous other efficiencies to accommodate those cuts. As a result, in the face of deeper disinvestment, our options are few. And this makes for very hard choices.”
Regents were also updated on Brown’s May Budget Revise.
Regent Monica Lozano said that it was difficult for chancellors to make decisions during this time of instability of funding from the state.
“The lack of predictability and the lack of stability is not good for the students, it’s not good for the families and it’s certainly not good for the chancellors who are trying to look ahead,” she said, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
Amongst intense budget discussion, regents also named Dorothy Leland the new chancellor of UC Merced.
“The opportunity to help build on the accomplishments of UC Merced’s faculty, students and staff is an honor and tremendous thrill,” Leland said in a statement. “The university’s vibrancy and commitment to research excellence, coupled with the chance to get back to California, make this appointment all the more exciting for me.”
Leland will be UC Merced’s third chancellor and is set to begin her chancellorship July 1. She will receive $310,000 per year.
The regents also made an effort to discuss increasing financial aid for those who cannot afford to attend the UCs. Financial aid ceilings could be raised in order to aid more students. In one proposal, the financial aid that is provided to families that make up to $70,000 a year could be extended to families who make up to $80,000 a year.
Yudof highlighted the importance of providing students with the best possible education and placed responsibility on the state of California to help the UC system.
“So, California now has two choices. It can throw in the towel and say the UC had a good 143-year run. Or it can fund the university that made it what it is,” Yudof said. “The right choice, to me, is clear.”
HANNAH STRUMWASSER can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.