This week the University of California (UC) took an important step toward simplifying the transfer pathway for California community college students. For too long, community college students looking to transfer to the UC to earn their bachelor degrees were confronted with a complex and difficult to navigate process which yielded low rates of transfer. Yesterday's news of a single set of courses that will prepare transfer students for one of ten popular majors at any of the UC's nine undergraduate campuses is historic.  Another 11 majors are in development and will cover two thirds of the pathways into the UC.

Since 2010, with the passage of historic transfer reform legislation that we championed with then Senator Alex Padilla, we have been focused on ensuring that community colleges reach their college dreams and that our public universities remove unnecessary hurdles in front of our students. Last year we called on the UC to do away with the 110,000 pathways for community college students to transfer to the UC and to build upon the significant work between the community colleges and California State University system to streamline the transfer pathway through Associate Degrees for transfer. President Napolitano and Governor Brown's commitment to improving transfer and the work of UC faculty to make this a reality is truly commendable. Improving transfer is good for students, our universities, and the state.

California's economy needs one million additional bachelor degree holders by 2025 and the UC plays an important role in producing those graduates. Simplifying the transfer pathway to the UC for California community college students opens the door for more students to attend and graduate. In the UC's 2014 Transfer Action Report, the system claimed that 50% of transfer students came from only 19 California community colleges. Once all 21 transfer pathways are in place we will ensure students have a clear north star to follow into the UC and that students from across all 112 community college campuses in the state have equal access to one of our states biggest treasures, the University of California.  As a UCLA Bruin - this makes me very proud.   

Sincerely,