<p>agreed with West Sidee. </p>
<p>a state school is supposed to admit students from its own state, be a local powerhouse, and have a regional name recognition. that is not the case for berkeley and ucla (national top 25), and several other UC's are in the national top 50. </p>
<p>these UC's are a rare breed. a state school with a national flavor to it.</p>
<p>The UCs, Michigan, and to a lesser extent UVa (which deserves much more recognition than it gets), are successful because they are practically private schools that simply are chained to the state.</p>
<p>Imagine what Berkeley and UCLA would achieve if they didn't have to watch money get funneled into the black hole state legislature...</p>
<p>^ Berkeley will always be a public university. Always. There is a greater purpose to be served. And that is the path to enlightenment. (corny... I know... but its true!)</p>
<p>Actually, Cal and UCLA have both considered privatization for many many years. I read something about Boalt and UCLA Law looking to spearhead further privatization on their own as well.</p>
<p>And the funding is like 75% private at both schools anyway.</p>
<p>^ Yeah I read it too. But it is never going to happen. Being public allows you the freedom to pursue research that is good for the public, the people of California and the US. Sure privates have freedom as well, but publics have more. </p>
<p>This Berkeley endorsed research would have NEVER been allowed to be public if Berkeley was a private university. It is a report detailing fraud of 260,000 votes in Florida in the recent election. </p>
<p>I dunno, I think that the privates have done just as much research that we all benefit from. </p>
<p>But I'm a free market Democrat. Contradiction of terms, I know.</p>
<p>^ I have met with a Nobel Prize winning professor at a private university that admitted that he can't support increased market access for poor rural farmers because his multi-million dollar foundation wouldn't allow a threat to their monopoly. Now while I respected his intellect, I cannot respect the interests that he represents. You have much more freedom at a public university to pursue the research that you want. </p>
<p>Democrats used to be more free market under Clinton. Along with increased human rights, increased personal freedom, comes economic freedom and mobility in economic markets. They go hand in hand.</p>