Cash-Strapped UC Weighs Selective Tuition Hikes

By: Daniel Carty
Topics: Education

(CBS/iStockphoto)

The financially burdened University of California is considering a controversial measure to generate more revenue – a tuition hike target specifically at engineering and business students.

The $900 annual increase, which amounts to roughly 9 percent of the school's $10,302 tuition, would affect roughly 17,000 students across the 10-campus university, according to a Los Angeles Times report Monday. The school's regents would have to approve the hike and could vote on it as early as next month.

Why engineering and business students? School officials maintain that the higher paid faculty and more lucrative job prospects justify an increase. But students feel an increase could serve to fuel on-campus resentment and discourage others from majoring in those fields. There's also no guarantee of landing a well paying job to handle more student loans, they say.

Officials say a targeted tuition increase is not all that groundbreaking. Almost half of all public universities in the country have done something similar. And at the University of Colorado at Boulder, which charges business and engineering students 60 percent and 38 percent more respectively, enrollment in those two majors is at "an all-time high," officials said.

But critics of the move say anything that could further jeopardize U.S. educational opportunities isn't worth the risk.

"Why make it harder for us to be the leader in science and engineering?" asked 19-year-old UCLA student Karen Lee. "It doesn't make sense to me."

If approved, the measure would generate about $10 million in net revenue for the school.

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by Moravecglobal December 22, 2009 3:33 PM EST: UCB $ 3,000,000 blunder costs UC $3,000,000.$3 Million Extravagant, Arrogant Spending by UC President Yudof for UCBerkeley Chancellor Birgeneau to Hire Consultants - When Work Can Be Done Internally
These days, every dollar counts. Contact Senate (Ms. Romero 916.651.4105) & Assembly (Ms. Brownley 916.319.2044) Chairperson?s Education Committees or your representatives.
Do the work internally at no additional costs with UCB Academic Senate Leadership (C. Kutz/F. Doyle), the world ? class UCB faculty/ staff, & the UCB Chancellor?s bloated staff (G. Breslauer, N. Brostrom, F. Yeary, P. Hoffman, C. Holmes etc) & President Yudof.
President Yudof?s UCB Chancellor should do the high paid work he is paid for instead of hiring expensive East Coast consults to do the work of his job. ?World class? smart executives like Chancellor Birgeneau need to do the hard work analysis, and make the tough-minded difficult, decisions to identify inefficiencies.
Where do the $3,000,000 consultants get their recommendations?
From interviewing the UCB senior management that hired them and approves their monthly consultant fees and expense reports. Remember the nationally known auditing firm who said the right things and submitted recommendations that senior management wanted to hear and fooled the public, state, federal agencies?
$3 million impartial consultants never bite the hands (Birgeneau/Yeary) that feed them!
Mr. Birgeneau's accountabilities include "inspiring innovation, leading change." This involves "defining outcomes, energizing others at all levels and ensuring continuing commitment." Instead of deploying his leadership and setting a good example by doing the work of his Chancellor?s job, Mr. Birgeneau outsourced his work to the $3,000,000 consultants. Doesn't he engage UC and UC Berkeley people at all levels to examine inefficiencies and recommend $150 million of trims? Hasn't he talked to Cornell and the University of North Carolina - which also hired the consultants -- about best practices and recommendations that will eliminate inefficiencies?
No wonder the faculty, staff, students, Senate & Assembly are angry and suspicious.
In today?s economy three million dollars is a irresponsible price to pay when a knowledgeable ?world-class? UCB Chancellor and his bloated staff do not do the work of their jobs.
Together, we will make a difference.; Reply to this comment


by wilbursandersjr October 12, 2009 6:05 PM EDT: by sjc_1 October 12, 2009 12:33 PM EDT

U.C. and CSU have been raising tuitions ever since Arnold was put into office. CSU tuitions doubled in less than 5 years. If Arnold had revised Prop 13, like Warren Buffet told him to do in 2003, there would be no need to raise tuitions so much and the state would have a balanced budget.

Those Darn Republicans! Can Democrats blame anyone else?; Reply to this comment


by sjc_1 October 12, 2009 12:33 PM EDT: U.C. and CSU have been raising tuitions ever since Arnold was put into office. CSU tuitions doubled in less than 5 years. If Arnold had revised Prop 13, like Warren Buffet told him to do in 2003, there would be no need to raise tuitions so much and the state would have a balanced budget.; Reply to this comment