April 2004

Dear UC Davis Parents:

I'm writing to ask that you join alumni and friends from throughout the UC system to help the University of California stave off another round of state budget cuts. As one of the nation's top public research universities, UC Davis has a profound, positive impact on the long-term economic health of California -- an economy already thriving on the knowledge and discoveries that result from scholarly and scientific research, a leading academic health system, and the brainpower of more than 6,000 UC Davis graduates each year.

The campus annually contributes between $2.7 billion and $3.4 billion to the state's economy. And for every state dollar invested in UC Davis, the state of California gets at least $5 in return. Now that's return on investment!

Unfortunately, our ability to help the state out of this current economic crisis, through research, education, and collaboration with industry, is being threatened by a fourth year in a row of state budget cuts. For the first time in our history, the university can't afford to enroll every qualified student. We need to make support for public higher education a budget priority, and the university needs us to send that message to our leaders in Sacramento.

UC Davis is asking alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends to join in a systemwide grassroots campaign to remind elected officials why state funding for UC is critical for California's future. Below, I'd like to call your attention to a message from UC President Robert Dynes and ask that you join the effort by signing up as a member of our growing community of UC Davis AggieAdvocates.

I send my very best wishes and heartfelt thanks for your support.

Sincerely,
Larry N. Vanderhoef
Chancellor, UC Davis

Dear Friend of the University of California,

Today, we are launching a bold, new initiative to preserve state support for public higher education in the state of California. To help kick off our campaign, I am asking for you to join us, lend your voice, and let family, friends, co-workers, the Governor and your state legislators know how you feel.

As members of the University of California community, we all know what UC means to California: It's the promise of educational excellence and opportunity for California's young people. It's the promise of a vibrant economy energized by the constant flow of UC innovations and highly skilled graduates to fill jobs that, in many cases, have been created by UC research. And it's the promise of California retaining its special, and much envied, quality of life - through UC's contributions to our health, environment, and culture.

But the University's ability to continue delivering on these promises for California is increasingly at risk because of deep, continuing state budget cuts. As I told the Board of Regents: "We are on the edge. A great public university cannot be sustained if it is made to absorb more deep budget cuts." That is why today, more than ever, the University of California needs the help of its many friends to make the case for strong state support of public higher education and the many benefits it provides California.

In conjunction with the kickoff of our campaign, we have deployed new electronic advocacy tools that will allow you to quickly and easily contact the Governor and your state legislators about preserving UC.

Take Action And Join Our Effort to Preserve UC!

The message we are sending is clear:

• Investment in higher education is critical to the economic growth and well-being of California, now and in the future. Yet, over the last four years, the state has dramatically reduced support for UC. We need to not only halt the trend of continuing cuts, but turn it around.
  
• California cannot afford to disinvest in student opportunity. To keep our promises to California's young people, we need to provide access to UC for eligible students, adequate financial aid for those in need, and continued programs in K-12 schools to strengthen academic readiness for college.
  
• California cannot afford to disinvest in the activities that lead to economic growth. To keep producing new inventions, new jobs in cutting-edge industries, and the highly educated grads to fill those jobs, we need to bolster UC research programs, continue hiring the faculty to lead this research and preserve the quality of the student instructional program, and continue attracting the most talented grad students by minimizing the proposed 40 percent increase in grad student fees.

Take Action And Join Our Effort to Preserve UC!

Even if you don't have the time to write today, we'd like to get you involved on a regular basis. If you choose to participate, we can also send you regular communications on the latest issues facing UC. We know how many e-mails you already get, so we will use this tool sparingly and you will be able to opt out at any time. If you would like to participate in this unprecedented advocacy effort on behalf of the University of California and the UC Davis campus, please fill out our "UC Advocates Sign-up" form.

Sign Up For Future Alerts!

(If you don't have time to take action today, we'd still love to have you sign up.)

Let's work to preserve UC's unique impact on California, and let's work to "keep the promise" to the next generation of students and to all Californians. Please join me in urging state decision makers to make public higher education a priority in this budget.

Sincerely,
Robert C. Dynes
UC President

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