11:15am | Already facing steep cuts in funding and anticipating further cuts in the months and years ahead, the University of California’s Commission on the Future is considering proposals that – if adopted – would result in major changes to the 10-campus system. Among the ideas being contemplated are paring down the time it takes to complete an undergraduate degree from four to three years, offering more online courses, increasing enrollment of out-of-state undergraduate students (who pay higher fees), and boosting fees at UC Berkeley and UCLA.

According to the panel, the goal of the proposals is to make the UC system more efficient without compromising its academic standing. While these proposals have yet to be adopted, it is interesting – and perhaps long over-due – to see California’s higher education system trying to adapt to the times.

The UC system is not alone. The California State University system finds itself in the same fiscal crisis. And high-performing schools like Long Beach State are bearing the brunt.

If you were a UC Regent or CSU Trustee and had the opportunity to shape the future of higher education in our state, what would you propose? What changes would you make to the current system?