The number of conference attendees confirms that UCR Extension is a place of choice for meetings and special events, not only at night, but during the the daytime and weekends. A large part of this continued success is due to the level of service and support provided by Extension staff. After experiencing strong summer and fall quarters, our International Education Programs department was affected in January by the Asian financial crisis. One of Extension's strengths is the ability to respond quickly to problems. The impact of the crisis was ameliorated by increased marketing efforts in other parts of the world, resulting in new students from new areas.
Financial analysis shows that our revenues are also up for the year.
Costs have increased, but not disproportionally in relation to revenues. Included in expenses were campus assessments and the debt service on our building. We also made some important investments, especially in building renovation, with the intention of making our facility attractive as well as user-friendly. Financial goals for next year include maintaining a balanced budget, paying off debt, and making selective programmatic investments. I would like to note briefly a few other highlights.