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The Public Trust

In an era of diminishing state support, what makes UC Berkeley a public institution?

November 11, 2015

By Sahil Chinoy and Chloee Weiner
Photography by Kore Chan

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Rick Gough / Daily Californian Archives
Introduction

In 1960, California passed the Master Plan for Higher Education, which established a framework for public higher education in the state. It envisioned a University of California without tuition that guaranteed access for the top one-eighth of the state’s high school graduates, funded by taxpayers who believed in the university as a source of economic and social mobility.

UC Berkeley, in particular, as an elite public school, has aimed to reconcile its responsibility to the state's people with its status as a highly selective academic institution — a challenge faced by few others.

Today, state disinvestment, rising tuition costs, more out-of-state students, increased private research funding and a greater emphasis on alumni giving have left some questioning whether UC Berkeley is drifting farther from the public ideal of the Master Plan and closer to the private universities with which it has always competed.

Some have suggested that UC Berkeley adapt to the reality of the state’s financial priorities, that a public university is not defined by its level of state funding, that the values ingrained throughout 147 years of history are immutable. Others worry it is only a matter of time before UC Berkeley’s shifting funding model undermines the institution’s public mission.

The Master Plan defined the University of California as a public trust. Half a century later, in the face of the fiscal and political uncertainty of its current situation, what makes UC Berkeley a public institution?

Mike Miller / Daily Californian Archives
State Funding

I.   Playing With Fire

The California State Legislature has historically provided much of the university’s funding, though it can’t direct the university’s operations. In recent years, the state has dramatically scaled back support — and as the Legislature and the university continue to clash over budget allocations, it’s unlikely that previous levels of state funding will ever return.

State Funding
Henry Brady   Dean, Goldman School of Public Policy

Kore Chan / Senior Staff
State Funding
Hans Johnson   Senior Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California

Kore Chan / Senior Staff
State Funding
Nicholas Dirks   Chancellor, UC Berkeley

Kore Chan / Senior Staff
Tuition

II.   The Sticker Price

The university is increasingly reliant on student tuition for support. But because financial aid packages have grown simultaneously, it’s unclear whether rising tuition is a barrier for California’s poor students or part of a model in which wealthier students subsidize their lower-income peers.

Tuition
Robert Reich   Professor, Goldman School of Public Policy

Kore Chan / Senior Staff
Tuition
Debbie Cochrane   Research Director, Institute for College Access and Success

Kore Chan / Senior Staff
Tuition
Hans Johnson   Senior Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California

Rachael Garner / File
Out-of-state

III.   An Artificial Binary

The proportion of UC Berkeley students from outside California has doubled in less than a decade. Out-of-state and international students pay higher tuition, which the university uses to finance enrollment of in-state students, raising concerns that increased out-of-state enrollment contradicts UC Berkeley’s commitment to the people of California.

Out-of-state
Khalid Kadir   Lecturer, International & Area Studies

Kore Chan / Senior Staff
Out-of-state
Hans Johnson   Senior Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California

Kore Chan / File
Access & Equity

IV.   A Moral Obligation

Although UC Berkeley enrolls more low-income students than many of its peer universities, its student body doesn’t fully represent the racial or socioeconomic diversity of the state's population. Under California's Proposition 209, however, UC Berkeley is legally barred from discriminating based on race in its admissions process.

Access & Equity
Na'ilah Suad Nasir   Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion, UC Berkeley

Kore Chan / Senior Staff
Access & Equity
Nicholas Dirks   Chancellor, UC Berkeley

Dick Wheeler / Daily Californian Archives
Access & Equity
Debbie Cochrane   Research Director, Institute for College Access and Success

Daily Californian Archives
Philanthropy

V.   Hat In Hand

UC Berkeley is increasingly turning to alumni and wealthy donors for support, much like private universities. Although the campus has always benefited from philanthropy, some worry that greater reliance on private gifts might undermine the academic autonomy of the campus and the integrity of the admissions process.

Philanthropy
Carol Christ   Director, Center for Studies in Higher Education

Kore Chan / Senior Staff
Philanthropy
Robert Reich   Professor, Goldman School of Public Policy

Hayden Irwin / File
Philanthropy
Nicholas Dirks   Chancellor, UC Berkeley

Keoki Seu / Creative Commons
Private Research

VI.   Corporate Firewalls

Campus partnerships with corporations bring in millions of dollars in research funding. In some contracts, such as those with BP and Novartis, private interests can set research agendas and influence the publication of findings, potentially threatening UC Berkeley’s commitment to research in the public interest.

Private Research
Khalid Kadir   Lecturer, International & Area Studies

Karin Goh / File
Private Research
Nicholas Dirks   Chancellor, UC Berkeley

Dennis Galloway / Daily Californian Archives
Conclusion

VII.   Public Character

UC Berkeley has, in some ways, strayed from the vision of the Master Plan — but do those changes signify an erosion of its public character?

Michael Tao / File
conclusion
To what extent is UC Berkeley fulfilling its public mission?

Hans Johnson
Na'ilah Suad Nasir
Robert Reich
Debbie Cochrane
Carol Christ
Henry Brady
Khalid Kadir
Nicholas Dirks
conclusion



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Researched and written by Sahil Chinoy and Chloee Weiner

Photography by Kore Chan

Designed and built by Sahil Chinoy

Edited by Katy Abbott and Sophie Ho