The O.C. contingent was recognized on the senate and assembly floors. Senate Minority Leader Dave Cogdill, Sen. Dick Ackerman, and Paul Navarro, deputy legislative secretary to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, met with the group, which brought letters of support from more than 2,000 students, faculty, staff and community members.
Peter, in an uncharacteristic display of humility, allowed Chancellor Michael Drake to do most of the talking for UC Irvine, and a good thing too. The revised budget proposal released May 14, 2008, restored $98.5 million in UC funding previously identified for a cut.
“We very much welcome the governor's proposal to restore some of the funding for public higher education that had been proposed for cuts,” said UC President Robert C. Dynes. “Our state’s public colleges and universities are a great investment for the state because they are an investment in students and in economic growth for California. I thank the many advocates who have been carrying this message to our state’s leaders in recent months.
“However, the May revision still does not meet all of the university's needs for the upcoming year. Our enrollment is growing, and our costs, like everyone's, are increasing with inflation.”
