From
our perspectives in the world of private research universities, we have
been watching with mounting alarm the general disinvestment by states
in public higher education. This is painfully true in California, and we
are especially concerned about the impact on the
University of California and what it bodes for our state’s future.
You might think that as the presidents of Stanford and the
California Institute of Technology,
we might view UC campuses primarily as rivals. This is not so (except,
perhaps, on the athletic fields). Our campuses and the University of
California are partners in making the state of California the economic
and innovation powerhouse it is today.
As research universities, the
University of California, Stanford and Caltech
all undertake basic research and translate the discoveries into
products and companies, powering an engine of innovation and economic
growth. Universities act as magnets for talent, making California
schools the destination of choice for many of the most creative people
in the world. The inventions, medical breakthroughs and products that
emerge from their research benefit communities across California and
beyond.
Much of the world-class research conducted on our campuses
is inextricably linked with research emanating from UC. If California
is to remain an economic dynamo, then it needs the full capability of
its research universities to be well supported.
The educational
mission of our institutions is equally important, fostering an engaged
citizenry and educating the next generation of talent and leaders for
our state and our world. Although private research universities such as
ours make significant contributions to education, we cannot match the
sheer scale of public universities like the University of California.
Caltech
and Stanford together enroll roughly 18,000 students; UC enrolls nearly
240,000. California benefits when many of its young people have access
to the quality higher-education opportunities that UC offers.
Unfortunately,
the state has failed to provide adequate, consistent financial support
to UC during most of the last 20 years. Over that period, steep funding
cuts triggered significant tuition increases combined with cuts in
staffing and faculty. The
Public Policy Institute of California
recently warned in its 2014 report “California’s Future: Higher
Education” of the immediate and long-term dangers of cuts in state
funding to UC. Per-student state funding to the University of California
has fallen by roughly 25 percent over the past 10 years.
Gov.
Jerry Brown
and the Legislature deserve much credit for getting the California
economy back on track. For the sake of future generations, a priority
now must be to reinvest fully in public higher education, specifically
the University of California.
At Stanford and Caltech, we need the
University of California to continue to be the best public research
university system in the world. Californians deserve no less.
Thomas F. Rosenbaum is president of the California Institute of Technology. John L. Hennessy is president of Stanford University.
