Golden Silence?

Our colleagues at CSU and the community colleges feel the need to be outspoken about the impact of state budget cuts and possible upcoming “trigger” cuts to higher ed. Somehow, UC is not being quoted in the various news articles about this recent trend in public complaints. Is UC’s silence golden? Contrary to the headline on yesterday's post on this blog, maybe more needs to be said.

Example 1:

Outgoing SF State President Slams Governor: Brown "doesn’t seem to appreciate high-quality education in California”

Story at http://www.baycitizen.org/education/story/outgoing-sf-state-president-slams/

Example 2:

California is witnessing a slow and steady decline of its prized systems of higher education specifically because legislative Republicans have blocked efforts to raise taxes to pay for them, the community college and state university chancellors said Monday in a blunt and sobering back-to-school message.

Story at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/22/MNH11KPC7C.DTL

Meanwhile, local editorial writers need some education of their own. They continue the notion that the less the state decides to pay UC, the more say it should have. Here is an example (excerpt):

The University of California's latest move offers a teachable moment about cognitive dissonance: The university plans to hand out pay raises to faculty and other staff, even as UC officials hike tuition and bemoan state funding cuts. UC should jettison the raises and focus on controlling costs instead of boosting expenses. UC President Mark Yudof announced last week that the university would offer merit pay hikes -- generally worth 3 percent of pay -- to faculty and nonunion staff earning less than $200,000 a year. Newly hired or promoted employees, along with those earning more than $200,000 a year, would not be eligible for the additional pay.

But UC administrators apparently need a remedial course in public relations. The university could take few steps more likely to stir public anger than announcing pay raises on the heels of budget cuts and student fee hikes. Undermining public good will is a bizarre approach for a university that depends on public support…

Full editorial at http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/editorials/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_D_op_22_ed_ucraises.386b723.html

“…depends on public support” UC budget $20 billion. State support $2.5 billion. Repeat: UC budget $20 billion. State support $2.5 billion.

Silence isn’t golden for UC as long as the $20-$2.5 message is not being endlessly repeated. Otherwise, folks will think we have nothing to say: