![\"UC](\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/PAGE-NAM-NAPOLITANO-04.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Napolitano:<\/b> The schools in the UC system are at different levels of maturation. The student experience at Merced is exceptional because it\u2019s the newest campus and a smaller student body.\u00a0 Students who attend are pioneers, building the kind of legacy that the older campuses already have. The number one major at Merced is biology \u2013 so it\u2019s drawing large numbers of students who want to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, math).<\/p>\n
NAM:<\/b> UC is the premiere institution training the future educated class in California. What are you seeing\u00a0 that encourages you and what worries you?<\/i><\/p>\n
Napolitano:<\/b> Some 42% of our students are first generation college goers. That\u2019s an astounding number.\u00a0 Our applications are at record high numbers led by the growth in Latinos and Asians. I am worried about our African American communities. The number of African Americans going to four year colleges is dropping across the nation, particularly African American males. The dramatic increase in Latino enrollment reflects in part the growth in that population. That\u2019s not been true for African Americans.<\/p>\n
NAM:<\/b> Is UC actively involved in trying to address these disparities?<\/i><\/p>\n
Napolitano:<\/b> We\u2019re actively reaching out to communities across the state. There are so many families that think they can\u2019t afford UC. We\u2019re letting them know that we offer substantial financial aid \u2026 We\u2019re also doing a lot with community colleges. We have identified community colleges that aren\u2019t sending many students to UC campuses and we\u2019re looking to expand that effort.<\/p>\n
NAM:<\/b> Many middle class parents feel their children won\u2019t get into the UC\u2014they\u2019re not poor enough to get scholarships and they\u2019re not rich enough to afford it.<\/i><\/p>\n
Napolitano:<\/b> Housing costs are a key factor since a number of our campuses are located in very affluent areas like La Jolla and Santa Cruz. We\u2019re looking to build more housing dorm units. We\u2019re also actively looking at ways to ensure students don\u2019t graduate with debts, although I always remind students that\u00a0 getting a diploma with debt is very different than buying a new car with debt. With the diploma the value only increases, whereas the car loses value the minute you drive it out of the dealership.<\/p>\n
NAM:<\/b> More women are now enrolled in college than men. Are you seeing an emerging gender gap in UC admissions, with women on the ascendance and does that worry you?<\/i><\/p>\n
Napolitano:<\/b> That\u2019s an important question. I want to look into that.<\/p>\n
NAM:<\/b> There are growing health concerns for the major contact sports like football as well as concerns about abuse of minority athletes in collegiate sports. What is UC doing to address these issues?<\/i><\/p>\n
Napolitano:<\/b> We just arranged a new contract for athletic coaches.<\/p>\n
NAM:<\/i><\/b> There\u2019s some concern that foreign students and out of state students are taking up the slots of in-state students. What\u2019s your perspective?<\/i><\/p>\n
Napolitano:<\/b> Foreign students, out of state students, enrich the entire college experience. UC is very much a global university.<\/p>\n
I like to say that we teach for California, we research for the world.<\/p>\n
NAM:<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 CP Snow\u2019s \u201cTwo Cultures\u201d 70 years ago warned against an imbalance between science and the humanities in our culture. Today, we seem to be witnessing technology in the ascendance, and the humanities feeling very threatened. What\u2019s UC doing to address this?<\/i><\/p>\n
Napolitano:<\/b> One of our goals has to be to produce well-educated people. There\u2019s no question that students graduating with a computer engineering degree will earn more money <\/i>than the student with a degree in English.<\/p>\n
NAM:<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 What\u2019s your greatest source of satisfaction after two years as UC president?<\/i><\/p>\n
Napolitano:<\/b>\u00a0 Furthering the mission of educating today\u2019s students.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d say this is my most satisfying job.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UC President Janet Napolitano talks with ethnic media in Oakland, Calif., May 27. (Amar D. Gupta | Siliconeer) University of California President Janet Napolitano is locked in a battle with California Gov. Jerry Brown and the state legislature over restoring funding to the University, cut during the recession. In a candid interview with Sandy Close…<\/p>\n