The University of California system saw a major change in administration earlier this summer when Janet Napolitano was appointed president. When she takes office in September, the former Homeland Security Secretary will be the first woman to hold the presidential position.
UC Berkeley’s administration also experienced a change this past June when Nicholas Dirks was sworn in as the university’s chancellor, the faculty’s highest ranking position. One of Dirks’ primary obligations in his new role is to find new funding for the university. The numbers are stark. Ten years ago, a semester for a resident undergraduate cost less than $3,000 and about a third of the school’s funding came from the state. This semester, the state provides only about 11 percent of the funding and tuition is two and a half times higher.
CHANCELLOR DIRKS: We need to think about supporting the university in ways that go well beyond the kinds of expectations for state support that used to just be taken for granted.
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