Robert Dynes, president of the University of California, gave Fresno-area educators his optimistic appraisal of higher education's future in the state despite cuts in courses, enrollments and budgets.

All the key decision-makers have come to agree that they need to support higher education, Dynes said at the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium luncheon in Fresno. Gov. Schwarzenegger is among the supporters.

The consortium is a forum for public and private colleges and universities in the Valley, including campuses of the California State University, University of California and California Community College systems.

In remarks to the consortium and later in a session with The Bee's editorial board, Dynes, a physicist and the former chancellor of UC San Diego, stressed the importance of higher education, and specifically UC, to California's welfare.

"The Valley is probably the least-served of any part of California," he said. "The numbers are clear." Dynes mentioned the impact of UC San Diego on that area, and said that higher education is crucial for any region.

"The Valley will grow in strength and quality of life," Dynes said, "and it all starts with education. ... There is nobody, nobody thinking about the future but us -- higher education."

Dynes said that California's business, academic and government sectors have come to realize that a healthy economy and successful population require thriving colleges and universities.

Asked whether that includes Schwarzenegger, who has met with Dynes, Dynes said it does. Yet the state is "driving toward a cliff" because it isn't educating enough math and science teachers, he said.

Dynes called the early years of this decade "a painful time for us." He mentioned decreased admissions and rejection of qualified students.

Still, he said, California's three-layered higher education system -- UC, California State University and California Community Colleges -- are "the envy of the world."

If the governor, state Legislature, business community and general community realize the value of higher education, as Dynes said, why are colleges and universities suffering budget crises?

The state economy tanked, and "you can't turn the economy on a dime," he said. The turn is slow, but it will come.

"I am optimistic that the governor, while he faces boundary constraints, has come to understand what higher education means to California," Dynes said.