Undergraduates and UC Schools

At a time when higher education is faced with such critical challenges, it is disheartening to see the president of Santa Monica College attack the University of California (“Save Undergrads From the Maw of UC,” by Richard Moore, Commentary, Aug. 15). This seems a particularly important time for the leaders of our state’s public colleges and universities to rise above the fray and work together to strengthen what is widely regarded as the world’s finest network of public higher education: the UC, California State University and the California Community Colleges. I have confidence that readers can assess for themselves the value of a UC education, but it is important that they have factual information:

--More than 59% of UC students graduate within five years, compared to the 42% average at comparable public institutions nationally. After six years, the UC figure rises to 64.5%, and to 70.4% if you include inter-campus transfers within UC. Most students who leave UC without a degree go on to complete their education elsewhere.

--It is true that UC graduation rates are not as high as those of some peer institutions in the private sector. But this is a risk worth taking in order to meet UC’s commitments to offer an affordable education of superior quality to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds from the top 12.5% of California high school graduates.

--Moore also misleads by stating that UC uses “general student funds” to underwrite research. No student fees are used to support UC research. If he is referring to state general funds, it should be noted that in 1989-90, only 7.6% of general funds received by UC went to research.

I am confident that tens of thousands of high school graduates would reject Moore’s suggestion that UC offer only upper-division and graduate education, leaving the first two years of instruction to community colleges and Cal State. If we prevented students from attending UC as freshmen and sophomores, I fear that California public higher education would lose our highest achievers to other states.

The notion that the best and brightest of our state’s high school graduates would not have access to lower-division education at UC is unthinkable and would be totally unacceptable to the people of California.

CHARLES E. YOUNG

UCLA Chancellor