RE: Questions for the day

Hi, I'm Todd Greenspan and I work in the Academic Initiatives Department of the UC system office.  One of my assignments is this Master Plan process.  I was also involved as a UC representative in the last review of the higher education Master Plan review in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Mike asks:

"2.) How much influence can a state-level Master Plan have on education in classrooms across the state? There has been a postsecondary education plan since 1960. Has it made a real difference? In what ways? Can a Master Plan create a more "aligned" or "cohesive" education system, in which the parts work in a coordinated way?"

I just want to say that I'm a true believer that the 1960 Master Plan made and continues to make an enormous difference to Californians by ensuring them (1) access to a high quality colleges and universities and (2) the economic benefits of these places of learning and discovery.

One of the threads discusses "social mobility"--others discuss accountability and public support.  I think the key to the Master Plan for Higher Education was the audacious promise that was made.  In the face of a huge surge of students, the baby boomers reaching college age, California choose NOT to restrict access and not to sacrifice quality, but instead promised a place in college for all who desired to attend.  This promise is what the public understands as the Master Plan--that if they or their child reaches well-understood standards (top 1/8th or top 1/3rd of the high school class), they are guaranteed a place in UC or CSU (or a Cal Grant to go to an independent college).  And all adults who desire a college education--whether or not they graduated from high school, much less made it into the top 1/3rd--are assured access to the community colleges and a chance to transfer to UC and CSU.

But it was made possible by the systems agreeing to hold down costs by ending duplications of territory and functions and the Legislature -- and the tax-paying public -- agreeing to fund every student who desired to attend.  That was made possible due to the public support of the promise of access and the social mobility that such access provides.  Also the fact that higher ed has strengthened the California economy.

It has made an enormous difference.  A much higher proportion of California's population, from every racial/ethnic group and by gender, is in college now than was the case in 1960.  Full-time enrollments in public higher education have increased eightfold (from 179,000 to 1.4 million) since 1960, while the state's population has only slightly more than doubled (15.3 to 33.8 million) (these figures might be a year or two out-of-date.