Ward Connerly on the UC System
As you probably read, the University of California system (UC) raised fees by 32 percent for fall 2010 admissions. The American Civil Rights Institute’s Ward Connerly, a former UC regent, says he voted against proposals to raise fees for students during his tenure.
“But with each vote I realized that UC was slowly moving toward the day when basic decisions would have to be made about how the university is financed, who can attend it and what the public should expect from the institution. Well, that day has come; and the public can either dodge the issues or face them, and try to craft a new relationship with UC.” (Source)
Connerly says UC is a business operating as though it were a public service enterprise. While popular campuses like Berkeley, LA, and San Diego could get away with raising fees “significantly,” other campuses can’t. UC seeks to hold on to both identities.
“[M]aintaining its public service identity seems to oblige UC to create and maintain its own internal subsidy for students who cannot afford the fees that others pay,” Connerly writes. “For example, a third of every dollar paid by student fees is used to provide financial assistance to students whose family incomes are considered low to moderate. As my nemesis on the Board of Regents, William Bagley, often remarked, this is a tax on families of UC students. As such, I would suggest it ought to be paid by the state taxpayers rather than solely by the families of UC students. Getting rid of this “Robin Hood” fee structure would enable UC to avoid raising its fees by 32 percent just so it can give 33 percent of that 32 percent back to lower-income students. Instead of a 32 percent hike, the recent increase would have been 21 percent.”
Connerly believes taking a market-based approach, similar to that of selective private schools, would be the better option for UC, rather than an institution that accepts government funds.
“When UC becomes a market-based entity, it might be forced to make cuts in certain courses that can no longer be justified. A market-based entity would also do a better job of reducing the time-to-degree.”
But UC likely won’t do it, because it makes too much sense.
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Milan Moravec
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
$3 Million Extravagant, Arrogant Spending by UC President Yudof for UCBerkeley Chancellor Birgeneau to Hire Consultants – When Work Can Be Done Internally
These days, every dollar counts. Contact Senate (Ms. Romero 916.651.4105) & Assembly (Ms. Brownley 916.319.2044) Chairperson’s Education Committees or your representatives.
Do the work internally at no additional costs with UCB Academic Senate Leadership (C. Kutz/F. Doyle), the world – class UCB faculty/ staff, & the UCB Chancellor’s bloated staff (G. Breslauer, N. Brostrom, F. Yeary, P. Hoffman, C. Holmes etc) & President Yudof.
President Yudof’s UCB Chancellor should do the high paid work he is paid for instead of hiring expensive East Coast consults to do the work of his job. ‘World class’ smart executives like Chancellor Birgeneau need to do the hard work analysis, and make the tough-minded difficult, decisions to identify inefficiencies.
Where do the $3,000,000 consultants get their recommendations?
From interviewing the UCB senior management that hired them and approves their monthly consultant fees and expense reports. Remember the nationally known auditing firm who said the right things and submitted recommendations that senior management wanted to hear and fooled the public, state, federal agencies?
$3 million impartial consultants never bite the hands (Birgeneau/Yeary) that feed them!
Mr. Birgeneau’s accountabilities include “inspiring innovation, leading change.” This involves “defining outcomes, energizing others at all levels and ensuring continuing commitment.” Instead of deploying his leadership and setting a good example by doing the work of his Chancellor’s job, Mr. Birgeneau outsourced his work to the $3,000,000 consultants. Doesn’t he engage UC and UC Berkeley people at all levels to examine inefficiencies and recommend $150 million of trims? Hasn’t he talked to Cornell and the University of North Carolina – which also hired the consultants — about best practices and recommendations that will eliminate inefficiencies?
No wonder the faculty, staff, students, Senate & Assembly are angry and suspicious.
In today’s economy three million dollars is a irresponsible price to pay when a knowledgeable ‘world-class’ UCB Chancellor and his bloated staff do not do the work of their jobs.
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Doye O Sivils
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Why does one of the top universities in the world have to spend $3 million of taxpayer money for consultants to do what ca be done impartially and internally by UCB Chancellor Birgeneau?
Who teaches auditors how to audit? Do UC professors not have the knowledge to perform what they teach?
Having firsthand knowledge of consulting, I know one cardinal rule, “Don’t bite the hand that pays you.”
In a nutshell, we have a high-paid, skilled UCB Chancellor who is unable or unwilling to do the job he is paid to do. Why do we wonder that UC and California are in a financial crisis!
I’m sure taxpayers would not object to the $3 million payout if the money is reimbursed by taking money from the UCB Chancellor’s salary over the next 10 years.
Stop the spending of $3,000,000 on consultants by President Yudof and the UCB Chancellor and do the job impartially and internally These days ever dollar counts!
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Doye O Sivils
Sunday, January 10th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Act now. Contact Chairwoman Budget Sub-committee on Education Finance Assemblywoman Carter 916.319.2062 and tell her to stop the $3,000,000 blunder spending by Chancellor Birgeneau for consultants.