I worked there over 20 years ago. The work I did there prepared me for a very lucrative career and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, especially not a few more dollars.
Also, the endowment isn’t unlimited use. Most of it is earmarked for specific uses. When someone donates $500M to build a building, the money can only be used to maintain the building. When they endow a professorship, that money can only be used for that professors salary and research.
$4.3B is pretty small for a university the size of Berkeley.
Question: were you financially supported by your family during that time? "a few more dollars" seems diminutive, but according to the union, there are multiple people who are owed $20,000 or more.
Enough said. Tuition today is a hair below $40,000 for an in-state student* compared to a hair below $5,000 in the mid 90's. They can afford every penny.
Might want to double check your sources. Tuition is $14,000 now compared to $5,000 when I was there. That’s roughly double when you account for inflation.
It’s not nothing, but it’s also not super relevant.
Also in that same period, the UC system has lost more than 1/2 its state funding, hence the increase.
The school doesn’t really have any more to work with now than it used to, but has a lot more students since they are required to accept the top 2% of all California students.
Also, the endowment isn’t unlimited use. Most of it is earmarked for specific uses. When someone donates $500M to build a building, the money can only be used to maintain the building. When they endow a professorship, that money can only be used for that professors salary and research.
$4.3B is pretty small for a university the size of Berkeley.