Potpourri: New strategies, funding, partnerships

to build upon our strengths, knowing that we had entered an era of limited resources. The keystone of this effort was the creation and adoption of our divisionwide strategic plan. It included not only our vision for the future, but a budget system for allocating resources to high priority issues and problems facing agricultural and other clientele. While this plan will help us squeeze everything we can from limited resources, it can also provide guidance in allocating new funds. With that in mind, we have worked hard to identify new funding sources, both public and private, obtaining needed facilities and expanding our partnerships with external stakeholders and supporters. Here is a sampling of recent, pertinent developments. State budget augmentation: On June 15 the six-member Joint Legislative Conference Committee on the Budget reached agreement on several budget augmentations that will increase funding to the Division if passed by the Assembly and Senate, and if signed by Governor Pete Wilson. The augmentation includes $5.5 million to help restore UCCE programs and support agricultural research, $4 million to fund a 0.4% pay increase for all non-Academic Senate employees of UC, including UCCE specialists and advisors, $2.5 million to expand academic programs of the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine into Southern California, and $265,000 for viticulture and enology competitive grants, contingent on an industry match.