In campus meetings that took place on May 19 and May 27, UCSB’s top administrators highlighted the university’s accomplishments and successes over the last year, and shared the cold hard facts regarding the enormous budget cuts the campus is facing.

Speaking to faculty and staff members in Corwin Pavilion at the annual year-end report to the campus on May 19, Chancellor Henry T. Yang first thanked the campus community for its assistance during the Jesusita fire, and noted that UCSB served as a Red Cross evacuation center for five days.

In an overview of the events and achievements that marked
2008-09, Yang recalled the visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the All Gaucho Reunion, and the selection of UCSB to host the 2010 NCAA Division I Soccer Championship. He also discussed the increasing excellence of UCSB students, as well as faculty, noting that the number of freshman applicants for fall 2009 was the second highest ever, and that the grade point averages and SAT scores of incoming freshmen are higher than last year’s. Diversity continues to be a campus priority, he said, as witnessed by UCSB’s placement among the top five in The Diversity Inc Top Colleges & Universities. The list was published in the magazine’s October 2008 issue. Yang also acknowledged that UCSB’s Hispanic student population outnumbers that of any other member of the Association of American Universities.

Among other highlights Yang discussed in his overview was the Campaign for UCSB, which reached the $500 million milestone this year. A total of $531.6 million has been raised to date, he said, which includes 55 new endowed chairs and 139 new graduate fellowships.

Yang and the other senior administrators acknowledged the bleak budget situation, made even more challenging by the defeat of the May 19 state ballot propositions. According to Assistant Chancellor Todd Lee, UC will be facing $321 million in budget cuts given the outcome of the election.

Speaking at the budget forum on May 27, Executive Vice Chancellor Gene Lucas shared some of the options the Office of the President is considering to offset the tremendous losses created by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget for 2009-10. He noted that UC is being asked to “cut a budget that has already been cut numerous times, and that makes things even more difficult.”

Among the budget reduction options under active analysis are an increase in non-resident tuition, the implementation of differential fees by discipline, and salary reductions and furloughs. “But pay cuts and furloughs would have to apply to everyone, not just one group,” Lucas said.

While most capital projects have been put on hold, work on the Education and Social Sciences Building (ESSB) and on the addition to Engineering II is moving forward. In addition, the Bioengineering Building has received approval from the Regents to proceed with the design phase, and the 22-acre Devereaux property renovation will be completed by fall 2009. Finally, construction on the North Campus housing project is slated to begin in fall 2009.

Among other consequences of the budget crisis, Lucas noted, are the student fee increase of 9.3 percent approved by the Regents at their May meeting, and the decision to leave some positions vacant when staff members leave. As an example, he mentioned Donna Carpenter, who retired last month as the campus’s vice chancellor for administrative services. Until the budget crisis is over, Carpenter’s duties will be shared by associate vice chancellors Marc Fisher and Ron Cortez.

Lucas described the work of the Coordinating Committee on Budget Strategy, which is made up of faculty and staff members, students, and administrators. The committee helps establish planning principles for budget reductions and makes recommendations to the chancellor. Its goals include implementing budget reductions strategically rather than across-the-board, and making sure the reductions reflect campus priorities and protect the university’s ability to recruit, develop, and retain a diverse faculty, staff, and student body.

At the May 19 meeting, vice chancellors Michael Witherell, research; John Wieman, institutional advancement; and Michael Young, student affairs, reported on achievements in their divisions.