(University of California President Janet Napolitano)
Attending a UC school is incredibly expensive, and it's going to get even more expensive due to a large increase approved by the Board of Regents this year.
The UC system portrays itself as barely having enough money to survive, but a recent audit shows what's really going on.
It uncovered the lack of oversight, accountability, and what UC leaders spend their money on. Steven Greenhut has a great read in the OC Register called "'Damning' audit showcases out-of-touch UC leaders:"
"UC compensates its executives “significantly more than their public sector counterparts,” according to the audit. The system, it said, spent $21.6 million on benefits that go above and beyond those typically offered in the public sector, including a supplemental retirement benefit. That’s absurd, given UC employees already receive some of the most generous benefits in the country.
The university’s response is almost as shocking as the audit and it reveals the mindset in Janet Napolitano’s Office of the President. The office seemed shocked at the auditor’s call for reducing or eliminating a number of programs. Napolitano’s office was incredulous the auditor would question its $25.2 million three-year program to provide counseling and aid to undocumented students, or $2.5 million on its “carbon neutrality” initiative, or a $4.6 million wetlands project or $5.2 million spent on the Global Food Initiative.
These people are clueless — and pernicious.
The big news was the audit accuses Napolitano’s office of failing to disclose to the public, media and the Legislature $175 million in reserve funds — and of creating an undisclosed budget to spend as much as $114 million of that reserve over a four-year period. That’s an interesting backdrop to the UC’s recent push for tuition increases..."