August 27, 2025

To the Campus Community:

Since UCLA was notified at the end of July that hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding had been suspended, senior administrators at all UC campuses have been conferring on a regular basis with their counterparts and with the UC Office of the President. President Milliken, the UC Regents, and the UC Office of General Counsel are actively working to find solutions at UCLA and throughout the UC system that uphold our principles and values while protecting our mission as a public research university.

Although it is not possible to fully prepare for the serious and far-reaching impact that such a suspension would have on our campus, we are engaged in discussions with vice chancellors, deans, Academic Senate leadership, and relevant offices across campus. We are gathering data and identifying key decision points in order to anticipate the steps we would need to take were we faced with this situation, both short-term and long-term. Understanding financial and personnel impacts and mapping policy scenarios will enable us to maintain research continuity and set priorities for the future. If grants were to be suspended, we would not be able to avoid many negative consequences, but we can prepare for the difficult decisions that we might have to make.

Uncertainties about federal research funding exist in the context of serious campus-wide financial pressures. A loss of federal funding and a reduction in the overhead that supports our research infrastructure would exacerbate our current budgetary challenges. As you know, we have begun a multi-year financial stabilization process to address these challenges. A joint Senate-Administrative committee has been tasked with recommending actions to reduce costs and generate income.

Over the coming year, we will review organizational and operational structures and work to align units and services with academic priorities. These actions will help us to safeguard our research mission and place us in a stronger position to defend our principles, protect academic freedom, and fulfill our responsibilities to both the people of California and the global community of scholars, scientists, artists, and engineers. We will keep the campus informed.  

Next week, we will welcome our new Chancellor, Dennis Assanis. We look forward to his leadership and the new perspectives that he will bring to campus. His arrival marks a pivotal moment. It will take a collective effort to sustain our mission to educate, discover, and serve the public good, but our ability to work collaboratively is also our great strength.

In that spirit, the University of California has begun an initiative, Stand Up for UC, urging every member of our community to advocate for our shared values and the future of public education. We hope you will contribute your voice to help communicate the value of our research and educational enterprise.

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to UC Santa Barbara.

David Marshall
Interim Chancellor

Rita Raley
Chair, Academic Senate

Dana Mastro
Acting Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Rachel Segalman
Vice Chancellor for Research

Kerry Bierman
Interim Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer