he University of California, one of the world's largest and most acclaimed institutions of higher learning, is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and public service. As a public institution committed to educating California's youth, the University places a high priority on ensuring the broadest possible student access to an affordable, high-quality UC education.

Chartered in 1868, UC today encompasses nine campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. A 10th campus is planned for Merced, in the heart of California's San Joaquin Valley. The university also operates five medical schools and teaching hospitals; three law schools; the U.S. Department of Energy laboratories at Berkeley and Livermore in California and Los Alamos in New Mexico; and a statewide Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

UC currently enrolls approximately 137,000 undergraduates and 41,000 graduate students. The university has approximately 7,600 ladder-rank faculty, 37,000 other academic personnel, and 106,000 staff and management employees, excluding those at the national laboratories.

Under the 1960 California Master Plan for Higher Education, UC is designated as the state's primary research and doctoral degree-granting university. The Master Plan authorizes UC to admit undergraduate students from the top 12.5 percent of the state's graduating high school class each year. A separate system, the 23-campus California State University, is authorized to enroll its undergraduates from the top 33.3 percent of the class. In addition, the 107 California Community Colleges offer lower-division academic and vocational instruction, including courses enabling students to transfer to the UC and CSU systems and complete a four-year degree.

Governance of the University of California is entrusted to a 26-member Board of Regents. The board appoints the UC president, currently Richard C. Atkinson. Authority in academic matters is delegated by the regents to the Academic Senate, the representative body of the faculty.