UC students will avoid another fee hike and university faculty should see some progress toward raising salaries to match those at comparison institutions under Gov. Wilson's proposed 1996-97 state budget.
Under the governor's proposal, UC will receive a $110 million, or 6 percent, increase over last year's $1.92 billion budget.
This will allow UC to go forward with a three-year plan to restore faculty salaries that currently lag about 10 percent behind comparison institutions. It also funds the equivalent of a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for all UC employees and an additional 3 percent salary increase for faculty, plus merit raises.
"I applaud the governor's recognition of the important role higher education plays in preparing a skilled work force for competition in the global marketplace and the important role UC plays in a healthy California economy," said UC President Richard C. Atkinson.
The governor's decision to add $27 million to his compact for higher education with UC fulfills a priority set last fall when the Board of Regents stated that if additional funds were available from the state in 1996-97 there should be no student fee increase.
The governor's proposal does not affect a proposed increase in non-resident tuition or proposed fee increases for students entering certain professional graduate school programs.