Budget Cuts Hit California Campuses

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The UC Berkley budget gap has grown to $150 million, and still the Chancellor is spending money that isn't there on $3,000,000 consultants. His reasons range from the need for impartiality to requiring the consultants "thinking, expertise, and new knowledge".
Does this mean that the faculty and senior management of the UCB world-class research & teaching institution lack the knowledge, integrity, impartiality, innovation, and professionalism to come up with solutions? Have they been fudging their research for years? The consultants will glean their recommendations from faculty interviews & the senior management that hired them; yet $ 150 million of inefficiencies and solutions could be found internally if the Chancellor and his Vice -Chancellors were doing the work of their jobs.
The victims of this folly are Faculty and Students. $ 3 million consultant fees would be far better spent on students & faculty.
There can be only one conclusion as to why creative savings & solutions have not been forthcoming from faculty & staff: Chancellor Birgeneau has lost credibility & the trust of the faculty & the Cal Academic Senate leadership. Even if the faculty agrees with the consultants' recommendations - disagreeing might put their jobs in jeopardy - the underlying problem of lost credibility and trust will remain.

Cal Alumni of CA 11:03PM August 10, 2010

Budget cuts are becoming way to excessive. Why not just form an organization or tax the rich to collect money? People are looking for jobs now, since all those stupid budget cuts are
imposed. And with all those high taxes, and all those budget cuts, Schwarzenegger is planning some more budget cuts! Awful! With all those taxes, shouldn't that be enough money? If it isn't, he's not managing money well. I hope those budget cuts stop.

Jocelyn Leung of CA 8:15PM February 02, 2010

Fact: California college student admissions at a record high 2.9 million
Fact: Student aid is exempt from from budget cuts.

Just Bill of CA 5:21PM September 04, 2009

What academia has to do is adopt a new economic model. There is a new, new economy brewing around the world. It started in Asia and has spread throughout every country. It is very simple. You have to make something worthwhile in order to get money. Now I'm not talking about lead tainted toys made by inmates I'm talking about Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, etc...
Why do you think Google is bending to China's restrictions on content? They know this new economic model for the rest of the world is in "bits" not atoms. The west lost the atomic race once it stop producing quality products. The new, new economy of the west is in bits of information. These bits are going to be delivered via the Internet and we, in the west, have to learn how to monetize those bits as our commodity. It is all that we have left to sell.
Every industry has to adapt to this new model, even academia. Our delivery methods will be different and the end product hopefully will be better.

Fred of NY 5:10PM August 27, 2009

Guess you didn't get admitted to the new law school huh Bob. BTW...the fee money does not come at taxpayer expense. It came from donations over the years from folks who wanted a Law school at Irvine.

Moni of CA 6:57PM August 07, 2009

Thankfully, UC Irvine's new law school has been spared from the budget cuts. Despite having to raise student fees for the rest of its students in the UC system, UC Irvine is giving 65 entering law students a free legal education for the next three years. Yes, free, at taxpayer expense. UC Irvine hired 27 full-time law professors to teach 65 entering law students. Meanwhile, many of the graduates of UC's other law schools are jobless.
This bonehead move in this economy is going to cost UC dearly. Don't be surprised to see voters strip UC of its ability to spend its money without legislative oversight.

Rob of CA 3:56AM August 06, 2009