As a former governor and cabinet secretary, Janet Napolitano came to the University of California with hefty political credentials many hoped she would wield in Sacramento as a champion for the state's prestigious public research university. But the UC president's play for more state money after years of deep budget cuts has put her and the 147-year old institution on the firing line.
California's popular governor, frustrated lawmakers and fee-weary students reacted harshly when Napolitano and the regents set up a confrontation by threatening to raise student fees if the state falls short of the university's demands.