A version of this article originally appears in Dateline on Jan. 12, 2021 

Budget reduction options under discussion since last month are off the table, Chancellor Gary S. May and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary S. Croughan said Monday (Jan. 11), attributing the decision in part to new federal stimulus money and the proposed state budget. 

The campus drew up the options, including pay reductions, furloughs or reductions in time, in response to UC President Michael V. Drake’s Nov. 23 guidance related to the university system’s pandemic-related financial challenge. 

The chancellor and provost had asked other campus leaders to review the options for possible implementation after the first of the year. 

Monday, May and Croughan sent a letter to the Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors, saying: “We will not take additional budget actions at this time.”

Factors behind the decision include two that emerged after the budget reduction options went out for review: Federal stimulus money approved in late December includes nearly $51 million for UC Davis, and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed state budget, released Friday (Jan. 8), includes the partial restoration of base budget cuts for 2020-21.

May and Croughan also credited campus units that have come up with more than $50 million in one-time savings, already achieved or planned, far in excess of the $18.8 million target that President Drake assigned for UC Davis.

May and Croughan cautioned their decision to forego additional budget actions at this time “should not trigger a sigh of relief.”

Read the full article in Dateline