The decisions by the University of California and California State University to hold the line on tuition increases in the Fall are welcome news, provided that Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature follow through with robust increases in State funding for UC, CSU and our community colleges. Otherwise, educational quality will suffer and thousands of […]

Governor Gavin Newsom’s first Budget proposal has a good deal of hopeful news for higher education. Now, the devil will be in the details and in committing to ongoing funding, rather that the cyclical ups and downs that have undermined the University of California, California State University and our community colleges over the past several […]

California continues to flourish and higher education is the secret sauce that nourishes the state’s economy.  Our world class academic institutions are at the center of the innovation, creativity, technological advances and biomedical breakthroughs that make California a national and international pacesetter. It is no wonder that the Golden State has the world’s fifth largest economy. […]

There is no such thing as a free college education.  When the State doesn’t pay its fair share of the cost of educating students at the University of California and California State University campuses, the cost burden heavily falls on students and their families.  Worse yet, thousands of qualified young Californians are shut out of […]

During the past quarter century, enrollment at the University of California and California State University has increased dramatically, while State funding for the campuses has declined precipitously.  That is a formula for disaster—not only for our higher education system and for thousands of aspiring young Californians, but also for the economic health of our state. […]

California’s acclaimed higher education system owes a debt to many governors and legislators, but particularly two governors who championed the growth and accomplishments of the University of California, California State University, and our community colleges. The next Governor has the opportunity to join this pantheon by restoring the State’s investment in our campuses and embracing […]

Recently, a leading New York educator lamented that “too many academically talented children” from low income families are “shut out of college or turned away from selective universities”.   This is a national problem, but one where California is making progress that should be a model for the nation. The latest good news on this front […]

The polls are in and University of California campuses are slipping.  We are not talking about football or basketball, but about academics.  In the most recent international survey of higher education, UC campuses dropped in 80 categories.  Clearly, the severe fiscal diets imposed on UC and the California State University systems by Sacramento lawmakers have begun to take their toll. Make […]

The numbers tell the story.  California’s high schools are turning out more college eligible students than ever before and our community colleges, the University of California and the California State University system are making headway to accommodate increased demand.  The only lagging indicator is State funding for UC and CSU. The state produced 420,000 high school graduates […]

Californians recognize the high quality of education provided by our public colleges and universities, but most Californians want college education to be more affordable.  The way to do that is for the State to restore the cuts that have been made in public higher education funding over the past four decades. A new poll by […]