Public Safety

UC San Diego Chancellor On Devastating Impact of Coronavirus

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published April 20, 2020 at 9:00 AM PDT

This story was published more than 4 years ago.

Researchers at the UC San Diego campus test out a ventilator that has been split to potentially service two patients, April 2, 2020.

The financial impact of the coronavirus on higher education is enormous. At UC San Diego students and faculty are working from home. There is no revenue from tuition or dining contracts. The university's vast medical system is not taking elective surgeries. Yet, online costs are soaring, and research goes on.

The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the budget of the UC system.

The University of California has been saddled with $558 million in unanticipated costs so far, according to UC President Janet Napolitano.

UC San Diego has nearly 39,000 students. It is a major provider of medical services across San Diego, with four hospital/treatment centers — UCSD Medical Center, Jacobs Medical Center, Moores Cancer Center, and Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center — and 13 medical clinics.

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Patients with COVID-19 are treated at UC San Diego hospitals. Research into several aspects of the disease is on-going in several departments. The costs of online education have soared. But revenue from elective surgeries, tuition and dining contracts have declined precipitously.

UC Chancellor Pradeep Khoshla joins Midday Edition on Monday to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on UC San Diego’s bottom line, what the university is doing to help in the effort to combat the virus, and whether the university is likely to reopen in September.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Pat Finn