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A lot can happen in a few months.

When well-liked University of California President Richard Atkinson announced his retirement in early November 2002, the search began for a replacement.

Nearly a year later, that replacement, UC San Diego Chancellor Robert Dynes, is set to take the reins of the country’s most prestigious public university system and inherit a variety of challenges in the coming months.

These difficulties have increased since Atkinson announced his resignation, but the former president has confidence in his replacement.

“The future holds many challenges, and the university must plan effectively to meet these challenges. My successor, Bob Dynes, is superbly qualified to lead this effort,” Atkinson said in his farewell statement.

Last November, many of the issues confronting the UC system were speculations and projections. Now, those problems have become bitter realities.

The state legislature cut $410 million from the UC’s budget last year, which resulted in program cutbacks and denial of additional faculty or salary raises. This summer, the UC Board of Regents also raised student fees by 30 percent, nearly $1,200 for resident students, and have had to deal with an ever-growing enrollment.

Dynes, a Canadian-born physics expert realizes the gravity of this situation but is confident in his ability to lead the UC.

“This university has faced pressures throughout its history. It has always endured. It has always emerged stronger,” Dynes said after his appointment at the regents meeting in June.

But the UC’s troubles have not ended just yet.

At their Sept. 16 meeting, the UC Regents discussed a bleak budget situation for 2004-2005, in which the state is confronting an additional $8 billion deficit next year.

To deal with this shortfall, Gov. Gray Davis has asked all state agencies to consider an additional 20 percent in cuts, amounting to $600 million for the UC.

In addition, the university is experiencing a growing enrollment, with 18 percent more students coming into the system over the past three years, burdening the UC further with more students seeking state-funded educations.

Undoubtedly, the effects of these cuts will resonate with UC students and faculty, but officials have not yet made a decision as to exactly how the budget will affect the university community.

Regents have considered slowing enrollment (not accepting as many students into the system), as the state pays about 75 percent of the actual cost of education for every resident student.

If enacted, these proposed enrollment caps could mark the first time in its history the UC has denied students admission for financial reasons.

The university also has considered raising student fees to make up some of the difference, either for out-of-state students, resident students, or both.

The future of the UC’s frequently forgotten three national laboratories is also uncertain, as the UC has to decide whether to bid on the facilities, which it has administered since World War II.

This laundry list of tasks greets the new president, but support for him from his friends and colleagues has been extremely positive.

“I don’t think there’s any question (Dynes) can do this job very well,” said UCSD history professor Michael Bernstein.

Still, questions abound as to how to help the UC survive its troubles. Dynes’ answers remain to be shown.