Dear Students:
This has been an intense week for our university. Protests against fee hikes have occurred on our campus and throughout the system. The reasons for the protests are clear: the promise of an affordable UC education for all is under siege, victim of a state and nation reeling in the midst of a historic recession.
This is a low point for public higher education in California. Spending for prisons now outpaces that for higher education. UC faculty and staff have already absorbed significant pay cuts and layoffs. Funding is diminishing at every level as we struggle to ensure that you continue to enjoy academic opportunities and experiences commensurate with our world-class reputation.
I understand your frustration. I share it.
I applaud your efforts to be heard. I applaud your passion and commitment. There are many avenues for expressing your opinions, from campus rallies to writing letters to your state legislators, to speaking to members of the community about how important it is to protect the University for future generations. It will take many voices to get our message to stick and to get the kind of support the University needs in Sacramento. I ask you to join me in this effort. We have an enormous task in reemphasizing to the people of California how important well-funded, affordable public higher education is to the future success of our state. I believe that through our collective efforts we can and will be heard.
We have a proud history of free speech, here at Irvine and throughout the University of California. With freedom comes responsibility, including not disrupting the educational work of the University – which, after all, you are fighting to preserve. Responsibilities also include respecting and abiding by campus policy and the law. Unfortunately if certain lines are crossed – such as violence towards others or intentional destruction of campus property – the effective power of our voices is muted, and the legal support of the University is relinquished. This is unnecessary and counterproductive for all concerned.
Affordable, world-class public higher education is in our collective best interest. You are powerful advocates, and working together we can insure the University’s future.
Sincerely,
Michael V. Drake
Chancellor
Popularity: 1% [?]
Related posts:
- Student Forum with Chancellor Drake Helps to Air Concerns
- Chancellor Drake Goes to Washington
- A Cold Dose of Reality
- Chancellor Preaches Tolerance
- Letter from the Vice Chancellor
New University is the official UCI campus newspaper since 1968.
UCI student Says:
There are so many lies, misrepresentations, and delusions within this letter that it’s really hard to even begin to respond to this.
Posted on December 2nd, 2009 at 11:36 am
Milan Moravec Says:
UCB Birgeneau’s Reckless Spending: UC President Yudof Approves $3,000,000 to Outsource UCB Chancellor’s Job when the work can be done internally. Save UCB $3,000,000 for teaching our students. Use the resources of the UCB Academic Senate leadership, world-class faculty and staff & President Yudof to do the work. ( It’s a recession)
UCB Chancellor needs to do the high paid job he is paid for instead of hiring an East Coast consulting firm to fulfill his work responsibilities. ‘World class’ smart executives like Chancellor Birgeneau need to do the analysis, hard work and make the difficult tough decisions of their executive job to trim inefficiencies
Where do consulting firms like Bain ($3,000,000 consultants) get their recommendations?
From interviewing the senior management that hired them and will be approving 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 government oversight agencies and the public?
Mr. Birgeneau’s executive performance management responsibilities include “inspiring innovation and leading change.” This involves “defining outcomes, energizing others at all levels and ensuring continuing commitment.” Instead of demonstrating his capacity to fulfill his executive accountabilities, Mr. Birgeneau outsourced them. Doesn’t he engage University of California and University of California Berkeley (UCB) constituents at all levels to help examine the budget and recommend the necessary trims? Hasn’t he talked to Cornell and the University of North Carolina – which also hired Bain — about best practices and recommendations that might apply to UCB cuts?
No wonder the faculty and staff are angry and suspicious. Three million dollars is a high price for UCB students and Californians to pay when a knowledgeable ‘world-class’ Chancellor is unable or unwilling to do the work of his job
Posted on December 3rd, 2009 at 12:41 pm