More than 300 UC scientists from all 10 campuses have sent a letter to the governor warning that the proposed cuts to UC's budget will harm the future of science and technology in California and hurt the state's economy.
"The point of the letter is to stress the devastating effect that the proposed 19 percent budget cut for UC will have on the quality of the university," said Sandra Faber, University Professor and chair of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC.
Faber said the letter originated as a draft written by Mark Krumholz, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC, and several colleagues. Faber edited the letter and then worked with UC Berkeley astronomer Chris McKee to gather signatures from other top UC scientists.
"The co-signers of the letter include 300 UC professors who are members of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine," Faber said. "Organizing this effort in just a few days took prodigious work. Many people were involved, but it all started with junior faculty in the Astronomy Department at UCSC, who drafted the very powerful main letter."
The San Francisco Chronicle published an article about the letter today, and Faber has been doing interviews with local television and other reporters.
Additional information about the UC budget is available on UCSC's Budget Update web site.
