The University of California (UC) announced a systemwide hiring freeze and additional cost-cutting measures Wednesday in response to mounting financial pressures, including threats from the Trump administration to slash federal funding for universities.
UC President Michael V. Drake revealed the decision in a letter to the university community, citing "a time of great uncertainty" in American higher education. The measures will affect all 10 UC campuses, six academic medical centers, and administrative offices across the system.
Beyond the hiring freeze, the university will delay maintenance work and reduce business travel expenditures. Campus leaders have been directed to develop financial strategies and workforce management plans to address potential shortfalls.
The actions come as the Trump administration has threatened to withdraw federal support from universities over various issues, including diversity programs and responses to campus protests. The UC system received $2.6 billion from the National Institutes of Health last year as part of its $4.2 billion in total federal awards.
The university is already preparing for a proposed $396.6-million cut in state funding. "These proposed changes would have a particularly profound impact on the University of California," Drake wrote in his letter.
The hiring freeze could significantly affect operations across the UC system, which currently has thousands of openings. At UCLA alone, there are hundreds of academic positions and over 1,000 health-related jobs currently unfilled.
UC joins other major institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT that have implemented similar hiring freezes in response to the administration's threats. The impacts could include larger class sizes, fewer course options, and increased wait times for student enrollment.
Jan Nolta, director of the stem cell program at UC Davis medical school, expressed concern about the freeze's impact on research, stating, "We are devastated. Hard to imagine that the United States does not want cures for cancer."
Despite these challenges, Drake affirmed the university's commitment to its mission, writing "Throughout our history as an institution and as a nation, we have weathered struggles and found new ways to show up for the people we serve."