LOOKING INTO THE UC BUDGET -- Report #1 (e-mail version) by Charles Schwartz, Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, CA 94720. 510-642-4427 December 10, 1992 In the current climate of severe budget reductions at the University of California, many people have called for major cuts in the university's top management bureaucracy. In response, UC's new President Jack W. Peltason has announced a 10% cutback in spending by the Office of the President. I ask, Is this cutback just tokenism ? The general question I ask is whether there has been unnecessary long term growth in the UC administration - bureaucratic bloat - sapping resources into self-serving management structures that ought instead to be directed toward the university's primary functions and needs. One office of the UC statewide administration which shows a striking history of growth is the Office of the General Counsel of the Regents. This office has 37 attorneys, plus staff, and spent $9,174,000 in fiscal year 1991-92. These are all "unrestricted funds." The growth of this office in recent years may be assessed with the following data, which makes comparisons with the primary function of the university (Instruction) and its primary personnel (faculty, staff & students.) Over the past 5 years (FY1987 to FY1992), spending by Regents' Counsel has increased by 62% while spending for Instruction has increased by 32% Over the past 10 years (FY1982 to FY1992), spending by Regents' Counsel has increased by 189% while spending for Instruction has increased by 111% Over the past 15 years (FY1977 to FY1992), spending by Regents' Counsel has increased by 735% while spending for Instruction has increased by 269% If we count people instead of dollars, we find a similar picture. Over the past 15 years (FY1977 to FY1992), the number of attorneys in Regents' Counsel has increased by 106% the number of UC faculty and staff has increased by 41% the number of students at UC has increased by 30% From this data we see that the Regents' Counsel has grown two to three times more than the clientele it is presumed to serve, over this period of time. In addition, 7 out of the 12 campuses and major laboratories run by UC now have their own legal officer(s) as Assistant Chancellors, etc., while there was only one such officer 15 years ago. This would suggest a reduced, rather than an increased need for central legal services by the office of the Regents' Counsel. I also note that a majority of the members of the Board of Regents are, or have been, lawyers themselves, and are thus perhaps professionally prone to promote and protect this form of bureaucratic bloat. At today's meeting of the Board of Regents, President Peltason has scheduled a discussion of his plan for the Administrative Reorganization of his office. One detail of this new plan is to bring the Office of the General Counsel of the Regents into the Office of the President; and the General Counsel himself will be given the additional title of Vice President for Legal Affairs. Does this shift signify even more clout and budget for these lawyers in the university's administration ? Sources of Data: "The University of California Campus Financial Schedules 1991-1992" and prior years, for Current Funds Expenditures; See Schedules 10-C and 11-E. "The University of California Financial Report 1991-1992" and prior years, for faculty & staff and student numbers. "University of California Directory 1991-92," and prior years, for listing of Regents' Counsel and principal campus administration officers.