The Unacceptable Legacy of Chancellor Birgeneau

UC Needs Lesson in Fiscal Efficiency: American Enterprise Institute.  Some examples. Cal. Chancellor Birgeneau’s recruits born abroad and affluent out of state $50,600 tuition  students who displace qualified instate Californians; spends $7,000,000 + (prominent East Coast university accomplishing same at 0 cost) for OE consultants but stops examination of Chancellor office inefficiencies; ex-politician receives $300,000 for a couple lectures; tuition to return on investment falls below top 10; doubles instate tuition - on all-in-cost Cal. is the most expensive public university – more expensive than Harvard, Yale. Chancellor Birgeneau’s fiscal track record is dismal indeed. 

Birgeneau would like to blame the politicians, since they stopped giving him every dollar asked for, & the state legislators do share some responsibility for the financial crisis.  But not in the sense he means. Every year Birgeneau ($450,000 salary) would request a budget increase, the timid UC Regents would agree to it, and the legislature would provide. The hard questions were avoided by all concerned, & the Birgeneau leadership inefficiencies just piled up to $150 million +.

It’s not that Birgeneau was unaware that there were, in fact, waste during his 8 year reign. Faculty & staff raised issues with Birgeneau however, when they failed to see relevant action taken, they stopped.  Finally, Birgeneau engaged expensive ($7,000,000 +) OE consultants to tell him what he should have known as a leader or been able to find out from the bright, engaged people. (Prominent east-coast University accomplishing same at 0 costs)

Cal’s senior management is either incompetent or culpable. We are sympathetic to the running of higher education with declining state money.  However, Cal. has been badly damaged by Chancellor Birgeneau’s leadership. Good people are loosing their jobs. You never want a crisis to go to waste. Increasing Cal’s budget is not a solution. Honorably retire UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau. Email opinions to UC Board of Regents   marsha.kelman@ucop.edu  (The author has 35 years’ consulting experience, has taught at University of California Berkeley where he observed the way Cal. senior management work)