(SACRAMENTO,CA) – State lawmakers approved an audit of the Office of the President of the University of California at the request of Assembly budget leaders given concerns with the insufficient and even substantially conflicting information available.
The audit was requested by Assemblymembers Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento). It was approved by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee with bipartisan support and will be conducted by California’s independent State Auditor. The audit is expected to be completed by May of next year.
“I am a proud Cal grad but my job demands that I ask tough questions. The Office of the President’s duties, budget, and staffing remain a mystery,” said Ting, Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. “We must be assured the maximum resources are directed to classrooms and student services. An independent audit will help us ensure that UC efficiently prioritizes access to higher education before they ask students to pay more.”
“Over the last two years, we have scrutinized UC’s spending to better understand their budget,” said McCarty, Chair of the Assembly Budget Sub Committee on Education Finance. “We hope this audit sheds light regarding UC priorities to find efficiencies that can be used to increase student enrollment.
The audit will:
- assess cost and staffing in the Office of the President relative to its leadership role over the 10-campus UC system;
- assess the reasonableness of spending directed to administrative functions between the Office of the President and at individual campuses;
- identify what, if any, internal budget controls are employed across the UC system to monitor end uses of state spending and student fee revenue and control administrative costs; and
- provide recommendations for improved efficiency and greater transparency in budget reporting.
The Office of the President's budget has grown from about $355 million in FY 2007-08 to $655 million in FY 2015-16. However, the UC dedicated only one page in its 234-page budget document about the budget and duties of the Office of the President. During the nearly same time period, from 2007-2014, there was a 28% increase system-wide in UC administrative staff.
Further information is available on the Committee’s website.