President Yudof to Hold Live Web Chat for UC Faculty and Staff on November 2
Proposition 30 Critical Topic for Discussion as Election Nears
Faculty and staff are invited to participate in a web chat with UC President Mark Yudof and Staff Advisors to the Regents Kevin Smith and Kathy Barton on Friday, Nov. 2.
UC President Mark Yudof
A central focus of the discussion will be UC’s financial future and how success or failure of Proposition 30, Gov. Jerry Brown’s November ballot initiative, could impact UC.
The University of California Board of Regents endorsed Prop. 30, noting that if the initiative fails, UC is scheduled to receive a budget reduction of $250 million this year and lose an additional $125 million next year.
Already, state funding for UC has dropped by nearly $900 million — or about 27 percent — over the last four years, resulting in sharp tuition increases, staff layoffs, faculty hiring freezes, academic program cuts and other reductions. The University in 2009 enacted a temporary furlough program for employees and has embarked on a program to save $500 million through administrative efficiencies.
The Regents, while endorsing the measure and acknowledging its weaknesses, noted that further budget reductions could jeopardize UC's ability to provide the high-quality education that Californians have come to expect from the University.
The live web chat will take place on Friday, Nov. 2, 12 to 1 p.m. on UStream TV.
The event is an opportunity for all UC faculty and staff to have an open conversation with Yudof about some of the issues facing the 10-campus university system and its employees.
“With the upcoming election and so many critical issues facing UC and all of higher education,” Smith said, “we wanted to give employees a chance to speak directly with President Yudof.”
Faculty and staff are encouraged to submit questions during the web cast via UStream (see instructions below), but they may also submit questions directly to the staff advisors via this email link in advance of the event.
View Webcast and Submit Questions
- Watch and participate in the web chat Friday, Nov. 2, from 12 to 1 p.m. at: http://www.ustream.tv/ucevents.
- To submit questions and comments during the web chat, you must create a UStream account. This is a simple process that takes about one minute. Sign up for an account at http://www.ustream.tv/login-signup. Note: Creating a UStream account is not required to simply view the webcast.
Technical Information
To participate in the live web chat, we recommend the following:
- A high-speed (broadband) Internet connection (1.5mbps/sec or greater)
- Speakers and/or headphones to listen to audio
UC has tested the stream and chat with the following Internet browsers:
- Internet Explorer 8 and 9*
- Firefox 3
- Safari 5
- Google Chrome
Please note: Users who attempt to create a UStream account using Internet Explorer 7 may encounter problems. The UC Office of the President recommends using Firefox or Internet Explorer 8 to create an account. An account is required only for those wish to participate in the chat session; others may view the webcast without participating in the web chat and without creating a UStream account.