The following is a statement released by UC President Mark G. Yudof on March 4:

My heart and my support are with everybody and anybody who wants to stand up for public education. I salute those who are making themselves heard today in a peaceful manner on behalf of a great cause.

Our public institutions, from kindergarten to the doctoral level, have shaped our nation’s course and are an essential piece of the American fabric. Here at UC, through the Master Plan for Higher Education, we have created a model emulated throughout the world. It’s time that model started receiving the support it deserves in the place of its birth.

As my predecessor Clark Kerr often said, higher education should never be regarded as a cost, but rather as an investment. The university is an investment, not only in an individual’s well being, but also in the public good. Public education drives a society’s ability to progress and to prosper. This state’s great public universities hold the key to our economic and social growth and are deserving of support by all Californians.

Mark Yudof

President

University of California