“He explained his understanding of the formula as follows: How much does it cost the University each year to educate a student at Berkeley? ‘My own number, ballpark, is $30,000′ for the ‘full cost of education,’ he said.” Apparently, the Chancellor either hasn’t read or disagrees with Dr. Schwartz’ article, published by UC’s own Center for Studies in Higher Education.

But take heart, you will welcome the news that “There is a lot of attention being paid to maintaining the public character of our universities.” In fact, the Chancellor used the phrase “public character” no less than three times during his speech to the Berkeley Staff Assembly on May 26. Doth the Chancellor protest too much?

Meanwhile, regarding the University’s reliance on research grants for funding and their labor dispute with the post-docs’ union, is it surprising that the University wants to maintain a cheap, highly educated labor pool subsidized by taxpayers to attract sponsored research deals with corporations like Novartis and BP?