
Budget cuts might force UCI to offer far fewer courses this fall. Image courtesy of UCI.
UC Irvine said today that it may have to cut as much as $70 million to help the state balance its budget, a figure that could lead to bigger classes, fewer courses, deeper lay-offs and the elimination of some academic programs.
The political science department has already trimmed class offerings for the fall, and financial support might be cut for UCI’s research in Alzheimer’s disease.
Today’s news comes less than a month after UCI said that it would have to reduce spending by $40 million to help the state. That figure rose to $55 million, then to $70 million.
“As the state’s true fiscal situation becomes clearer, the cuts to the UC system become bigger,” says Cathy Lawhon, director of media relations at UCI, Orange County’s largest employer, with a full and part-time workforce of 20,000 (including students).
The full extent of the cut backs probably won’t be known until the UC Board of Regents meets in mid-July.
UC President Mark Yudof says the overall cuts to the 10-campus system will result in major pay cuts or furloughs, and possibly both. The pay cuts, for those earning $46,000 or more could amount to 8 percent of their pay. Those earning below $46,000 would experience a pay cut of 4 percent. The size of the cuts have not been finalized because the state Legislature has yet to pass a budget, and the UC must do some bargaining with its unions. (Read earlier pay cut story.)

Gov. Schwarzenegger says California must close a $24.3 billion budget deficit.
The proposed cuts have infuriated many UCI workers, including union members who say that such cuts are unnecessary because the UC system supposedly has $5.3 billion in unrestricted funds.
Yudof responded to the criticism Friday, saying that the budget crisis doesn’t represent a one year problem. Rather, the problem could last 2-5 years and that UC must keep the reserve funds to maintain liquidty.
Yudof says it’s also possible that the UC will have to further raise student fees for the 2009-10 academic year. Fees were raised by 9.3 percent in May. (An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the figure was 10 percent.) UCI has already reduced the size of the freshman class for this fall. (Read full story.)
The situation concerns David Lumb, editor of New University, UCI’s campus newspaper.
“As a student, I’m paying $662 more in tuition a year, and I hope for my fellow Anteaters’ sake that the Regents won’t approach student fee raises in order to close the gap …I hope all UC students understand that their education is being stressed and strained by forces that threaten some of the services the UC provides and, in a perfect situation, should be providing for much less.”

UCI neurobiologist Frank La Ferla. Image courtesy of UCI.
Also expressing concern was Frank La Ferla, a noted UCI neurobiologist who is worried that funding of will hurt the Irvine branch of the Alzheimer’s Research Centers of California.
“I think the main focus of the story should be the devastation that the cuts will have to our community,” La Ferla said by email. “Right now, there are 60,000 individuals suffering from AD in Orange County, and essentially we are the only memory assessment clinic that is able to differentiate among the different forms of dementia and that also conducts clinical research.
“I think the citizens of OC need to decide if they want to lose a clinic like ours (which is non-profit), particularly as we are facing an epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease. In OC, it is anticipated the number of new AD cases will grow by 99% over the next 20 years.”
It’s unclear whether the $70 million figure will rise further; the precise condition of the state’s finances is not known. In fact, Chapman University president and economist James Doti recently said that the state deficit is about $12 billion, or half the figure claimed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Read story about Doti’s claim.)
Click here to read explainer from UC President Yudof about budget cuts
Click here (and scroll to the bottom) to read a UC system story about the size of President Yudof’s personal compensation package.
Salary factoids: UCI Chancellor Michael Drake’s salary, before recent budget cuts, was $378,791, or $21,209 less than the salary of President Barack Obama.
Who do you believe on the size of the current state deficit?
Should UCI workers earning more than $46,000 per year have to take an 8 percent pay cut to help balance the state budget?
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