Education Supports Economy

Dick Meister’s “UC Doles Out Broken Promises to Students, Princely Sums to Administrators” (Commentary, May 18) is off the mark. The compensation for these top administrators does not seem unreasonable in today’s market. Comparable positions in business pay more. Even if we drastically cut administration salaries, this would only account for a few million dollars, not nearly enough to cover the expense of the qualified students denied admission.

The problem lies in the inadequate funding the state provides. When I say state, I mean all the people (and businesses) in the state. This is a very shortsighted view of the value of education. The University of California and the California State University system are two of the main economic engines in California. It is no accident that California’s economy leads the nation. The backbone to that success is the University of California.

I live in Santa Barbara, a few miles from UCSB. There are always new high-tech businesses springing up. In Silicon Valley, UC Berkeley, San Jose State, UC Santa Cruz and UC San Francisco all contribute to the economy far more than their costs. UC Davis and UC Riverside are significant contributors to the state’s agricultural economy. UC San Diego is right in the middle of the biotech region. UC Irvine contributes in Orange County. All California universities should get full funding, and all qualified students should get admitted.

Robert Cohen

Santa Barbara

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In today’s hard economic times, educational leaders would serve best by example if they did not take the increases offered to them by the current administration. Was it not Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself who said, “We all have to make sacrifices”?

What kind of sacrifice are the chancellors making if they take large increases in compensation while students are paying increased fees? Schwarzenegger is speaking out of both sides of his mouth, and if he is really thinking of running for reelection, he has either forgotten that students can vote or is hoping that they will be forgiving.

How many students are there in the state? How many of their parents are helping pay for their education and putting themselves deeper in debt so Arnold can tell everyone how much he has done to put the state on the road to financial solvency? There is still fat in the budget, and a lot of people can see it clearly.

Rudi Gomez

Pasadena