"Once every decade, the state Legislature revisits the blueprint for California's public universities-the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education. And this once-in-a-decade event couldn't be coming at a more appropriate time. With frustration rippling throughout the system, it's time for legislators to take responsibility for their role in creating this crisis in the first place.
The easy route for legislators, who will be convening hearings on various issues starting Monday, would be to praise the current system and wash their hands of culpability. Yes, California has been a world-renowned model for public higher education-until now. As our elected leaders, they've got to assess the system honestly and recognize the critical state our universities are in."
In his testimony Monday, we hope that UC President Mark Yudof refrains from spewing overly cheery news-he owes it to the university to be frank about the problems we face. The testimony is an opportunity for Yudof to be a truly independent advocate for the university, and he ought to take advantage of it.
As much as we support the ideals behind the master plan, it's clear that the system is much different than it was 50 or even 20 years ago. Legislators must come to terms with the reality of the situation, and the role the state has played in systematically defunding higher education.
