UC Davis, joining with the entire UC system, has mobilized to help protect federal and state funding for K-12 academic preparation and other outreach programs, as proposed cuts threaten campus programs serving thousands of students.

Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposed 2005-06 budget does not include $17 million in one-time funding that came at the end of the 2004-05 budget process to sustain state funding for the programs. And, at the federal level, President Bush's budget proposes to eliminate funding that, at UC Davis, provides almost $1.5 million annually to support Educa-tional Talent Search, Upward Bound, GEAR UP and the McNair Scholars Program.

"The campus and UC system are advocating for restoration of state and federal funds that support K-12 academic preparation programs as they are critically important programs," said Marj Dickinson, assistant vice chancellor for Government and Community Relations at UC Davis. "As last year's successful advocacy efforts demonstrated, using data and real life examples makes the compelling case that there is a real dividend for investing in these programs and the students they serve."

Representatives of UC Davis programs have met with state and federal elected officials and their staffs to highlight the value of the programs. Ed Aguilar, head of the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP), is working with colleagues from other campuses to plan visits to the state Capitol, including one April 27. And the campus has reconvened a task force to coordinate advocacy and communications efforts to save the program funding.

Meanwhile, Dean Harold Levine of the School of Education is leading a joint committee of UC and state government representatives to establish standards to evaluate the effectiveness of academic preparation programs.

Funding for UC's K-12 academic preparation programs has been cut substantially during the state's budget crisis. And while UC has committed $12 million in internal funds to preserve the programs, regardless of state funding, the university is arguing that the programs remain an essential investment for the state as well.

It is not known which UC Davis programs would be affected by the proposed cuts in state funding and how many dollars the campus would lose in support for them, according to the Office of Resource Management and Planning. But at the federal level, the president's budget is proposing the elimination of funding for a class of programs, which, at UC Davis, would mean the loss of almost $1.5 million annually and seriously impact the ability to deliver the programs.

Aguilar of EAOP said all segments of the educational system worked together last year to inform legislative leadership about the benefits and successes of state-funded academic preparation programs. This year's plans include a strategic effort to support the federal TRIO programs that are in jeopardy.

"It is not a matter of state-funded vs. federally funded programs," he said. "It is a matter of educational access and equity for the disenfranchised."

TRIO programs, so named because three were introduced at the same time, include:

• Two Educational Talent Search programs, operating locally and in Shasta and Siskiyou counties, which provide services to help about 1,600 low-income students complete high school and enroll in university or community college.
• Upward Bound, which helps more than 100 students generate the skills and motivation necessary for success in post-secondary education. It provides academic advising and tutoring, college and career counseling, campus tours and educational field trips. A summer residential program provides about 75 students a sample of university life and the opportunity to earn high-school or college credits.
• The McNair Scholars Program, which encourages talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue doctoral degrees. About 18 to 20 undergraduates are selected each year for the two-year program. Activities include research, seminars, advising and preparation for the Graduate Record Examination.
• GEAR UP, which helps students from low-income areas prepare for college, provides academic counseling and planning, tutoring services, career exploration, test preparation, curriculum development and other information sessions at two middle schools and Sacramento High School. The six-year program has served more than 2,500 students this academic year.

Also in jeopardy, said Aguilar, is UC Davis' award-winning National Youth Sports Program, which provides sports training and educational instruction for about 350 youth from low-income families in Yolo and Solano counties. In 1998, the summer program was brought under the umbrella of Educational Talent Search and shares its staff.

Through other academic preparation programs, UC Davis partners with educational and community institutions to help improve the academic achievement and college preparation of students in public schools, particularly disadvantaged schools. Among the services these programs provide are tutoring, mentoring, after-school programs, test preparation and curriculum development.

According to the Office of the President, students participating in UC academic preparation programs have been shown to exceed peers in their schools in taking the SAT I and SAT II exams, enrolling at California public two-year and four-year colleges, and persisting to graduation. A recent study found that participants in EAOP were twice as likely as non-participants to complete the required college preparatory course work in high school.

However, various constituencies with a role to play in the funding of academic preparation have continued to question how best to measure the performance of these programs relative to the state's investment.

In response, Winston Doby, UC vice president for academic preparation and educational partnerships, established the committee to develop standards for evaluation.

"We believe these programs are vital not only to the futures of the participating students, but to the economic and social future of the state as a whole," Doby said.

The committee, which Levine chairs, includes representatives from the state Department of Finance, legislative committees, the Legislative Analyst's Office, and other constituencies. It hopes to complete its work by mid-spring, in time to inform final state budget decisions in May and June.

Levine said discussions thus far have been very candid. "Everybody would be delighted to get (academic preparation programs) off the political front burner every year," he said.