SUBJECT:

A Holiday Message from President Mark Yudof

Dear Colleagues:

With the holiday season upon us, I want to express my deep gratitude for all your hard work this year. You have demonstrated unparalleled commitment, passion, and caring to the University of California and to those we serve.

This has been a year marked by many wonderful achievements, as well as some serious challenges.

Most recently, student protests prompted university-wide discussions about the mission and the values of our institution. While those conversations haven’t been easy, they have provided an important opportunity to re-affirm some of our most fundamental beliefs. They have also helped raise public awareness about the severe effects of statewide disinvestment on public higher education. I am very pleased that so many of you have participated in this dialogue, and I thank you for your heartfelt engagement.

Budget difficulties in Sacramento still pose many challenges for our university, but UC continues to enhance the lives of all members of the UC community, Californians, and people around the world.

We remain unsurpassed among the nation’s top-ranked research universities for opening doors to low-income and first-generation college students—a fact in which we can all take pride.

Our five Medical Centers remain among the best in the country, and do a tremendous job of caring for the poor and uninsured.

And in terms of research and academic quality, UC’s faculty is second to none. From developing exoskeletons that allow people with spinal cord injuries to walk, to seeking solutions to climate change, to writing prize-winning books, the work of UC faculty and researchers transforms issues and industries across the globe.

These are just a few of UC’s accomplishments, and without you, none of them would be possible. Thank you for making this university such a vital institution and for the professionalism and dedication that you bring to your work each day. I am both humbled and proud to work alongside all of you.

I hope you enjoy a happy, healthy and safe holiday season with family, friends and loved ones.

With best wishes, I am,

Sincerely yours, Mark G. Yudof President

Comments may be emailed to: communications@ucop.edu.