Chancellor Blumenthal outlined six goals for the coming academic year and discussed the budget and recent campus events during an hour-long staff forum Tuesday.
In opening comments at the quarterly event hosted by the Staff Advisory Board, Blumenthal said he wants to "reaffirm UCSC's role as a distinctive public research university" and "build on the success of our colleges." He also thanked staff for their efforts over the summer that led to a smooth move-in for new frosh, the largest class thus far.
The forum was streamed live for staff members who couldn't make it to the Stevenson College Event Center. SAB President Eric Grabiel said 80 people listened online during the Spring forum. An audio archive of Blumenthal's 23-minute opening remarks and answers to 13 questions is available at www2.ucsc.edu/sab.
Blumenthal told the 120 staff members in attendance that the landmark agreement with the city, county and community over growth issues "didn't come easily" and "took a lot of hard work by a lot of people." The agreement, "forged a new way of relating to our community," he said, and "we need to build upon it in the future."
Joking that he had been avoiding talking about the budget, Blumenthal said, the campus will have to endure budget cuts but that planning has been underway for months. He said he is determined to "minimize cuts to instruction and research."
The cuts will be challenging to everyone, he said, adding "we've been here before in our history. I can remember more periods of budget cuts than I care to." He encouraged patience and "continued commitment to UCSC because we're going to get through this. This is not forever." Blumenthal promised to update the campus when more information is available.
