Facing unprecedented threats by the Trump administration to slash medical and science research funding key to its mission as the nation’s premier public university system, the University of California announced on Wednesday a systemwide hiring freeze to stave off layoffs and downsizing.
Saying American higher education was in a “time of great uncertainty,” President Michael V. Drake explained the decision in a Wednesday letter and during a UC regents meeting, saying the cutbacks would affect nearly every aspect of the far-reaching UC operation, including administrative offices and all 10 campuses.
“The new administration in Washington, D.C., has announced a number of executive orders and proposed policy changes, including ones that threaten funding for lifesaving research, patient care, and education support,” Drake said. Coupled with preparations the university was already making in response to a proposed $396.6-million state funding cut, Drake said he and chancellors were ready for “significant financial challenges ahead.”
The cuts announced Wednesday include a systemwide hiring freeze, delays in maintenance work and reductions in business travel. Drake said he also directed all UC locations to “prepare financial strategies and workforce management plans” to address shortfalls.
The university system has thousands of openings across its 10 campuses, six academic medical centers and 20 health professional schools. At UCLA, there are hundreds of academic jobs posted online, and more than 1,000 heath-related positions in nursing, medical research and clinical, and nonclinical roles.
As a result of jobs unfilled, students could see fewer lecturers and class options, increased wait times to enroll in courses and bigger class sizes.
UC joins a growing list of universities nationwide that are shrinking their ambitions in response to President Trump.
Hiring freezes have hit Stanford, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, North Carolina State University,…