The Need for an Accessible University of California.

UC’s Regents have even made drastic moves to slash admissions as a way to address decreases in state funding, voting in January 2009 to cut enrollment for 2009-10 incoming freshman by 2,300 admissions for an estimated savings of about $20 million. The University intends to use these anticipated savings to offset reductions in state revenues, but rather than taking a hard look at its misplaced spending priorities, UC’s Regents have set a bad precedent by further limiting access and continuing to force public sacrifice as a way to deal with its deepening financial crisis.

As a result of the University and Regent’s actions, the promise of access to an affordable, quality education at UC is proving to be an empty one for more and more Californians. In fact, some families are now faced with the hard reality that increases in fees and cuts in enrollment pose a real threat to the chances of their children attending a UC school.

UC President Mark Yudof brags that the University is the envy of the world. We urge President Yudof to remember that this prestige comes in part because of the California Master Plan for Higher Education and its positive effects on the development of our state’s universities, which in turn have helped elevate California’s place in the world economy. Threats to the spirit of the Master Plan are essentially threats to the University itself.