The College Fix

California governor Jerry Brown is hoping that a huge $8.5 billion “temporary” (wink, wink) sales and income tax increase will help the state’s university system avoid further cutbacks. If the tax initiative fails to pass, the system faces $375 million in budget cuts starting in January.

The possible loss of $375 million in state funds would come on top of nearly $1 billion that California has cut from UC’s budget since 2007-08, Nathan Brostrom, executive vice president for business operations, told the board. Over that same period, UC’s costs have risen by $1.22 billion.

The university has taken aggressive actions to address the deficit. It has relied on tuition and fee increases to cover a third of the budget gap. The other two thirds have come from administrative efficiencies and cuts to academic programs. Campuses have eliminated or consolidated 180 programs; and more than 4,200 staff have been laid off and an estimated 9,500 faculty and staff positions have been left unfilled or eliminated entirely.

Provost Aimée Dorr told the board that eroding state support was beginning to impact educational quality: Faculty-student ratios have crept up and UC lags its comparator institutions in faculty salaries by nearly 11 percent.

“It is not impossible to recruit and retain really outstanding faculty, but it is getting harder,” Dorr said.

As costs continue to rise, UC’s budget shortfall in five years could grow to as much as $2.9 billion if revenues remain at current levels, Brostrom said.

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