As part of a $372 million budget reduction proposal, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to reduce enrollment to the University of California by 10 percent, which some fear could put the university’s Master Plan for Higher Education at risk.
The Master Plan, which calls for the University of California to admit the top 12.5 percent of each graduating high school class, has been adhered to since the university’s establishment in 1960. The University of California estimates that under normal circumstances, enrollment would grow by approximately 5,000 students for the 2004-05 academic year, while the governor’s plan would reduce enrollment by 3,200 from current enrollment levels.
“”We have always done our part to uphold the Master Plan and this commitment continues today, but we also need the state to hold up its end of the bargain and provide funding for enrollment increases,”” UC spokesman Hanan Eisenman said.
University officials on all levels are currently examining the governor’s proposal and preparing a response. Despite the proposal, admissions offices are currently carrying on with their normal admissions process. Admissions officers have already started reading applications for the 2004-05 freshman class in a process that began in December and will continue until the last week of February.
“”We are doing the very thorough reading that we always do, and at the end of the process, when we have a more definitive idea of how many students we can enroll, we will make a decision on where to set the cutoff,”” UCSD Director of Admissions Mae W. Brown said.
Schwarzenegger’s budget plan proposes that UC-eligible students who are not accepted should participate in a dual admissions program in which they would “”enroll in a community college and transfer to a UC or CSU [campus] upon completing the requisite amount of transferable lower-division units.”” The proposal allocates $500 per student to ensure that they receive appropriate academic counseling to prepare them for transferring during their time at a community college. The University of California currently has a separate dual admissions program in which it admits high-achieving high school students who are not UC-eligible under the provision that they complete lower division coursework at a community college prior to enrolling at the University of California.
History professor Michael Parrish said enrollment numbers suggest that the University of California currently enrolls more than the top 12.5 percent of each graduating class. Nonetheless, Parrish believes that Schwarzenegger’s proposal compromises the University of California’s accessibility.
“”The Master Plan goes back to the early 1960s when then-UC President Clark Kerr was able to negotiate this contract between the University of California, the California State University and the California community colleges and get the support of the governor and the legislature,”” Parrish said. “”The state of California is betraying its historic promise with respect to the accessibility and cost of higher education. The governor speaks eloquently of K-12 education as if education ends at grade 12. That’s just ridiculous.””
According to the proposal, the California community college system will be able to accommodate all qualified students and provide them with a quality education.
“”Community colleges provide quality undergraduate instruction at a significantly lower cost than that of the UC and CSU systems,”” Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal stated. “”Overall, sufficient access is provided in the Governor’s Budget to ensure a place for every qualified student.””
