In response to Gov. Brown's proposed budget, released today (Jan. 10), UC President Yudof issued an open letter to California.

In the letter, Yudof writes, "Undeniably, the governor's hand has been forced. He has produced, as he calls it, a tough budget for tough times, and the university will stand up and do all it can to help the state through what is a fiscal, structural and political crisis. There can be no business as usual.

"To that end, I will be giving each of the system's 10 chancellors specific budget reduction targets and asking them to develop and report back to me within six weeks their plans for meeting them. We will do the same at the system's central office. I then will go to our governing Board of Regents with a detailed scenario of what steps would be required to absorb a $500 million reduction — a reduction that will take the state's annual per student contribution to $7,210, compared to the $7,930 to be paid by students and their families."

Yudof's letter is posted at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/24763. UC also issued a news release about the proposed budget cuts for higher education, which is posted at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/24764.

Working to combat a steep slide in state support for higher education, UC advocates are planning large rallies in Sacramento this spring to persuade lawmakers that public higher education should be a funding priority.

The UC Student Association on March 1 will hold a rally and press conference at the state Capitol. UC President Mark G. Yudof, along with several UC regents and chancellors, will join student organizers later in the day for meetings with key legislative leaders.

"Our students are a critical voice in delivering our message to Sacramento, and it's great to see them engaging in this way," said Yudof. "We are honoring the wishes of the UCSA leaders and not taking a role in their public rally, but we will be visiting legislative leaders together that day to show our solidarity and to express how much we all care about UC's future."

To read more, go to http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/22810.

VP Dooley has recorded a video message to update the ANR family about the governor’s state budget proposal, progress in our restructuring around the Strategic Vision, and advocacy.

Please view the video at your convenience above or at http://ucanr.org/dooley020810. A transcript is available at http://ucanr.org/Dooley02-2010.