With the first full week of the new term behind us, I'd like to note what an extraordinary beginning it was, and what a normal beginning, too, in many ways.
We have thousands of new students starting their academic careers, full of promise and excitement. We have nearly two dozen new faculty members joining us. I've met with them and I am impressed. It's a great group, full of enthusiasm, delighted to be here. Some are beginning their first teaching jobs. All are exceptionally bright, committed, and eager to get started.
This academic year began in unique and unprecedented ways. Many of us opened our paychecks to find a sizable chunk missing. Others face the prospect of unpaid days off ahead. I know everyone is concerned about jobs and salaries, yet I believe everyone also wants the best for the campus
Some faculty, students, and staff took part in protests and strikes while others held their classes and carried out their work as usual. I like to think that everyone acted in what they thought was in the best interests of the university community. We can respect such diverse approaches as long as they do not curtail the rights of others.
I particularly want to recognize the extraordinary efforts across campus in getting fall quarter underway, especially under the trying fiscal circumstances; all the work in getting new students settled, all the work in the colleges, academic divisions, and central offices in implementing the salary reduction and furlough plans with their myriad complexities, all the work with students at the colleges and the health center, which has seen significantly more calls and visits than usual.
As we get going again, it's important to keep in mind our successes and progress. Four more of our faculty have received prestigious early career awards. We learned of a $5.6 million federal grant to establish a Cancer Genome Data Analysis Center here. And we celebrated the opening of a leaner, more focused UCSC Extension center in Santa Clara that will save the campus nearly $1 million a year.
I've been writing to you weekly over the summer as we worked our way through the difficult period of implementing budget cuts, particularly salary reductions. Now, as we consult with the Academic Senate on how to move forward with reduced budgets, I plan to keep you informed regularly as we have new information.
Please accept my best wishes for a successful, enjoyable, and productive academic year.
