President Robert Dynes on Monday issued a video letter for UC faculty and staff regarding the finalization of the 2004-05 UC budget. Running approximately three minutes, the video can be viewed at: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/video/.

In the video, Dynes notes "good news" and "bad news." The bad news, he says, is that the budget for UC is about 6 percent lower than UC's budget was last year. "But we came out a lot better than we originally anticipated," he says. "And at the end of the tunnel we have the compact. This compact will stabilize our funding for the next five to six years, I anticipate."

Planning for next year's budget has already begun, Dynes says. The "fun part," he says, is getting to think again about salary increases, "which is kind of a nice thought after several years of looking at shrinking budgets."

And, he notes, "We anticipate, as the economy gets better, that we will be funded at a level higher than the compact, so that we can begin to do some new and interesting things."

Also, Dynes notes, the budget signed on Sunday by Gov. Schwarzenegger provides enrollment funding that will allow UC to admit eligible students who were previously asked to start their UC educations at community colleges as part of the Guaranteed Transfer Option.

The budget also restores academic preparation money, formerly known as outreach, Dynes notes. "Most of that budget was threatened to be zeroed, and now it's just slightly below what it was last year. So that all our outreach programs, our academic preparation programs, can move forward and we can do the job we have to do in our communities."

Dynes also thanks those who, over the past several months, communicated with neighbors, friends and legislators -- advocating on behalf of UC. "It has made an enormous difference. You were heard, and we were heard in Sacramento, and the budget as a result is better than what we had anticipated."

Also available at the video letter site are Dynes' letters from this spring, offering additional background on the governor's compact with UC and the Guaranteed Transfer Option made to students as well as UC's stance on contracting for the national labs.