There is no shortage of optimism in the
of
appointment last week as the next UC president illustrated that systemwide pomp
perfectly. The
chancellor was feted to a rain of compliments and cash.
“I don’t believe we could have found one person in the
States of America
better suited for the job of president,” said Board of Regents Chairman Richard
Blum, handing Yudof his $828,000 compensation package. A high price tag — which
the San Diego Union-Tribune reported as twice that of outgoing president Robert
C. Dynes — but worthy of a global recommendation.
But approached from a different angle, there is also no
shortage of pessimism in the
of
sparked a bevy of introspective discussions, ones that regularly expose ugly
systemwide truths: student fees are spiking, state funds are shrinking and the
UC Office of the President is a mess. Concerns over those topics have flared up
at the end of Dynes’ tenure, leaving Yudof an inheritance of bulky problems.
Yudof has already acknowledged the university’s shortfalls,
especially at the managerial and financial levels. What might be seemingly
insurmountable quandaries — how to fill
the system’s $400-million budget hole and how to heal the university’s black
eye from compensation scandals — receive an enjoyably matter-of-fact response
from Yudof, who admitted the university’s budget crisis, but added that
“universities are always having budget crises.”
It’s true; no matter what Californians think about the
state’s projected $14.5-billion deficit, it pales in comparison to the deficit
at the onset of Dynes’ administration in 2003, when the Legislative Analyst’s
Office projected a $21.1-billion shortfall.
Yudof has pledged to make state funding a priority and
brings a reputation of political wrangling from
It is a welcome attribute; after his approval by the regents, Yudof expressed a
need to offer all UC-eligible students admission.
“The closer tuition is to zero the happier I am,” Yudof
said. It was a refreshingly lofty perspective that almost wipes away the dark
veil that has plagued UC students since fees began their unstoppable rise over
a decade ago.
As for managing a multicampus system, university officials
highlight Yudof’s experience with the 15-campus
of
capabilities. The two systems are remarkably comparable in size and scope: the
number of campuses, undergraduates, faculty and staff are relatively similar.
The similarities will undoubtedly ease the transition in UC management. But
more importantly, Yudof should fully utilize his standing as one of the few UC
presidents to come from outside the 10-campus system, bringing freshness and
innovation to a stagnant, idling administration.
