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June 3, 2002
To: UC Santa Cruz Campus Community
From: M.R.C. Greenwood, Chancellor
Re: Chancellor Greenwood discusses governor's latest budget proposal
Dear Colleagues:
The Governor's recent budget proposal calls for several significant cuts to the University, including major reductions in state support for outreach and for research. Needless to say, these pose a serious threat to our ability to conduct important work in both of these areas.
There has been particular interest by some on campus about the proposed cuts to outreach, and I want to respond with my views on this. My purpose is to reiterate my personal commitment and that of our campus to continue our progress in assuring equity of access for every eligible Californian to the superb educational experiences that UC Santa Cruz provides.
After passage of Proposition 209, UC Santa Cruz mounted aggressive programs to partner with schools to help broaden accessibility to the University for all Californians. The campus also organized the Educational Partnership Center (EPC) to leverage outreach programs and educational initiatives, such as the expanded teacher credential program, our education minor, subject matter and workstudy programs, along with other programs such as COSMOS, Johns Hopkins - Center for Talented Youth, Upward Bound, Kids Around the University, and the CfAO education program. The result was creation of the most integrated and, arguably, the most innovative approach to outreach among the UC campuses.
This integrated set of programs also enabled us to compete successfully for several multi-million dollar federal grant programs such as GEAR UP and CILS and has helped individual faculty to focus their research programs in our partnering schools. This integrated approach, in its many facets, supports faculty research, graduate students, undergraduate students, student affairs professional outreach staff, and the K-12 teachers and students who partner with us.
Our campus, under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Francisco Hernandez created the highly successful and innovative UC outreach program - the University of California College Prep (UCCP) initiative - that brings Advanced Placement courses free of charge to eligible high school students throughout California. This year alone, UCCP provided courses to nearly 3000 Californians in 50 of California's 58 counties.
Collectively, our outreach programs are beginning to "level" the playing ground. This is emphasized by the fact that applications to UC Santa Cruz from the surrounding tri-county region, a major focus of our outreach efforts, rose this year by nearly 13%.
The current negotiations on the state budget are far from over, with both outreach and research programs undergoing weekly readjustments, There is hope that some outreach budget cuts will be partially restored and that some will be moderated by the wise use of carefully conserved carry-forward funds. There are also negotiations ongoing to try to use new federal dollars in our school partnerships. As I have articulated before, it is the responsibility of the entire campus, not just the EPC, Student Affairs, the Education Department, or the other academic departments, to play a role in serious K-12 reform and to improve the access to UC.
In regard to our outreach programs, we have begun the serious process of evaluation of what are our highest priorities, how we can continue our work, and what fiscal resources can be brought to bear to ensure that our work continues. As can be seen from the above, preserving our effort will be complex and must be done thoughtfully. It is too early at this point to make specific commitments until we see which restoration efforts are successful, until all other avenues of financial assistance are evaluated, and until the state budget process concludes.
The state's fiscal crisis will surely slow our progress in some areas of our programs. I am, however, committed to sustaining our access and excellence, and we will work to find new funding to transition programs and to build the critical arguments that will result in increased state funding going forward. We can do no less.
I hope all of you will share this commitment. Please also share any ideas you might have with the executive committee of the Chancellor's Educational Partnership Advisory Council (members include Dean Martin Chemers, Chair Joyce Justus and Vice Chancellor Francisco Hernandez.). In addition, I encourage you to communicate directly with me or with Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor John Simpson.
Maintained by:pioweb@cats.ucsc.edu