Another Reminder of UC’s Greatness : Grad programs shine in an era of fiscal hardship
A California public university--UC Berkeley--is No. 1 in the newly published academic rankings of U.S. graduate programs, and three other California schools, public and private, are in the top 10. This is something all Californians can take pride in.
The top-10 rankings of UC Berkeley and UC San Diego (No. 10) are important reminders that public funding for the University of California system has to be maintained in order to ensure continued excellence. And the taxpayers who provide that support must be assured that the UC Board of Regents is performing as well as the system’s faculty and students have.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Sept. 15, 1995 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Friday September 15, 1995 Home Edition Metro Part B Page 8 Letters Desk 2 inches; 38 words Type of Material: Correction
UC president--An editorial on the University of California that appeared in Thursday’s editions indicated the Board of Regents would select the new president Thursday. The regents had already voted to make Richard C. Atkinson president. The Times regrets the error.
According to the National Research Council, UC Berkeley is the nation’s best overall graduate school, with 35 of its 36 graduate programs ranking among the top 10 for scholarly quality in their fields. In addition to UCSD holding 10th place, two private universities, Stanford and Caltech, come in at No. 4 and No. 6 overall.
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UC ACCOLADES: Nearly every UC campus ranked in the top 10 for one or more doctoral programs. San Diego ranked No. 1 in oceanography and neurosciences. At UCLA, the linguistics, physiology and psychology programs ranked among the nation’s top five, and the electrical engineering program tied for 10th place with the University of Southern California. At UC Irvine, the comparative literature program and the French language and literature program ranked in the top 10. UC Santa Barbara scored high with its acclaimed programs in geography, religion and physics. Astrophysics, astronomy and linguistics merited superior ratings at UC Santa Cruz. Ecology, evolutionary behavior and biochemistry were top-rated at UC Davis. Developmental biology, genetics, neurosciences, physiology and biomedical engineering programs ranked seventh or above at UC San Francisco.
The UC system has achieved academic distinction despite severe fiscal challenges. Even though student fees have been raised, a world-class education remains available for what many would consider a bargain price.
The regents, meeting today and Friday, are expected to select a new chancellor to head the nine-campus system. This process is shrouded in secrecy befitting, as some have said only half-facetiously, the College of Cardinals, not a public university system. The selection process should be more open.
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LEADERSHIP ISSUE: The regents must assert stronger fiscal oversight of the system. One case that perhaps could have been prevented through more watchfulness: an alleged embezzlement of nearly $1 million by an employee. Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, a regent, proposes more stringent checks and balances, including regular audits, approval of all awards by the general counsel and a review by regents of all settlements paid to whistle-blowers and of all claims above a certain amount.
The academic greatness of the UC system is beyond question. Those who lead it must rise to the same height.
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