From Chancellor Block: (I'm guessing this hire is not real high on UCLA's to-do list)
Happy New Year from UCLA. During our winter break, the Bruin football team represented us triumphantly in the EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C. The event benefitted the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides programs and services to severely injured service members between their active duty and transition to civilian life. Go Bruins!
As we begin a new calendar year and decade, I’m looking forward to more remarkable achievements of our students, staff, faculty, alumni and volunteers.
But first, I know the state’s budget crisis and the economy are top of mind for us all. This is a perilous time for our institution. Governor Schwarzenegger has just released his preliminary budget for next year. The budget restores the $305 million one-time cut made last year to the University of California and protects funding for the Cal Grant program. If approved by the Legislature, these funds will help mitigate some of the most severe impacts of the budget reductions experienced this year. While the governor’s plan is positive for the UC and higher education generally, it still falls short of the $902 million the university has identified as critically needed.
It is important to note, however, that the release of the preliminary budget is just the first step in a long and complicated process leading to the passage of a final budget. We will remain actively engaged at every step, advocating for higher education and UCLA and its future. We will communicate new information as it is available through
www.ucla.edu/about/budget.
We are pleased that, in his final State of the State address, the governor said he would propose an amendment to the state Constitution that would shift state funding priorities and guarantee that in future years the UC and California State University receive no less than 10 percent of state general fund revenue. Currently, the two systems receive 7.5 percent, so this would be a major step toward restoring financial stability to UCLA.
Still, in the short term, we face critical budget shortfalls. To help meet this challenge, we are joining with our sister campuses and concerned alumni to mount an aggressive statewide advocacy campaign. Advocacy is essential to protecting UCLA. If you have not signed up as an advocate, please do so now at advocacy.ucla.edu.
In addition, the UC Commission on the Future continues its work to develop a new long-term vision for the university. Learn more about the commission at ucfuture.universityofcalifornia.edu.
The people of California, who have long depended on UCLA, are now looking to us to steer the state through this difficult period to a better tomorrow. They are expecting us to continue providing world-class education, top-ranked medical care, cutting-edge discoveries and so much more. In early December, I wrote a commentary for Huffington Post in which I implored our broader community to stand up for UCLA, reminding them of the many ways in which the university improves their lives. Just as they depend on us, we are looking to them to raise their voices on our behalf.
As difficult as the current fiscal challenges are, however, I have every confidence that we will emerge from this time strong and thriving. Excellence is in UCLA’s DNA. The institution has great forward momentum energized by a history of accomplishment.
Consider that our research enterprise is stronger than at any other time in our history. We have now received more than $115 million in stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These funds will lead to creation of jobs and new knowledge that will improve the economy and the quality of life for the people of California and the world.
Last fall, three-time UCLA graduate Elinor Ostrom became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in economics and the first UCLA alumna to win a Nobel. She began her winning research right here as a doctoral student.
We also added our 12th Rhodes Scholar. A 2008 UCLA graduate, Elizaveta Fouksman, will enter Oxford University in October to study international development. And UCLA senior Matthew Clawson, captain of our ski and snowboard team, has been selected to receive a 2010 Marshall Scholarship to study international relations at Oxford. Consistently, Bruins are champions through and through.
We all recognize what UCLA is capable of achieving. The current challenges will not deter us from excellence in the fulfillment of our historic mission. We are a campus of extraordinary students, staff and faculty.
Each of us has a role to play, a job to do on behalf of UCLA. Please speak out to your friends and family and especially our lawmakers about how critical UCLA is to the well-being of California and its people. We must speak with one voice and remind Californians that UCLA belongs to them and must be protected against decisions informed by only short time horizons. The long-term health of our state, indeed the nation, requires robust public research universities.
I continue to be deeply grateful for your unwavering support. We need you now more than ever.
Sincerely,
Gene D. Block
Chancellor