Month: March 2011

miscellaneous

Does a college degree guarantee a good job?
Byuclafaculty March 7, 2011

In today’s NY Times, columnist and Princeton professor Paul Krugman notes that computer technology advances are undermining the job market for certain kinds of occupations that are identified with college-educated workers. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that education is the key to economic success. Everyone knows that the jobs of the future will require ever higher levels of skill… But what everyone knows is wrong…” “The fact is that since 1990 or so the U.S. job market has been characterized not by a general rise in the demand for skill, but by “hollowing out”: both high-wage and low-wage employment…

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miscellaneous | UCLA

UCLA History: Who’s Buried in Westwood?
Byuclafaculty March 6, 2011

The photo above shows the 1962 funeral of actress Marilyn Monroe in Westwood Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery was developed in 1905 on essentially empty land, well before the UCLA campus arrived nearby in the late 1920s. Because the cemetery is now hidden by various buildings along Wilshire Blvd, many are unaware of its existence. It is behind the building housing the AVCO movie theater. (See the Google map photo on the right.) Due to its location, the cemetery the final home to many entertainment types, ranging from actor Eddie Albert to musician Frank Zappa and Hollywood mogul Darryl Zanuck. But…

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politics | UC

Non-Budget Bills on UC Introduced in the Legislature
Byuclafaculty March 5, 2011

The prior post on this blog noted the progress of the state budget in the legislature. Below are some bills introduced related to higher ed and UC. There was a February 18 deadline for members to introduce bills although there are ways around that restriction. As yours truly has noted in the past, the legislature has never taken to the notion of “no pay/no say.” That is, even though the proposed state budget would contribute roughly 1/8th of the UC budget (and less if the tax extensions do not pass), the legislature feels free to micro-manage. Yours truly has noted…

Read More Non-Budget Bills on UC Introduced in the Legislature
governor | politics | State Budget

Progress Report on the State Budget
Byuclafaculty March 5, 2011

In case you are wondering where things are concerning the state budget, the Sacramento Bee reports that, “…famed primatologist Jane Goodall paid a visit to the Senate floor during a short floor session Thursday, greeting lawmakers with the call of a wild chimpanzee…” Full report at: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/03/herbie-hancock-jane-goodall-wo.html#ixzz1FjzoJO6q No invitation has been extended yet to Goodall from the Academic Senate so the audio – enhanced from the Bee website – is below: More seriously, there are rumors about deals being cut with selected Republicans to obtain the 2/3 vote necessary to put the governor’s proposed tax extensions on the ballot. Exactly…

Read More Progress Report on the State Budget
faculty center | UCLA

The $40 Million Question: Two More Emails on the Faculty Center Issue
Byuclafaculty March 4, 2011

A blog post yesterday featured an email exchange on the proposed demolition of the Faculty Center between Prof. Dora Costa (Dept. of Economics) and Prof. Ann Karagozian (Chair of the Academic Senate). Here are two more emails, these related to the use of $40 million in gift funding, in the interest of our fair and balanced reporting. = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: Daniel J.B. Mitchell Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2011 9:05 PM To: Ann Karagozian Subject: Re: petition to CPB and FW on proposed RCC/hotel Ann: This project surfaced last spring…

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State Budget | UC budget crisis | UCLA

April 14th Undergrad UC Budget Protest/Event Announced
Byuclafaculty March 4, 2011

Below is the text of an email received by yours truly announcing an undergraduate-sponsored UC budget protest/event scheduled for April 14: Dear friends, family, and community supporters, This year, the UC Regents passed the fourth consecutive fee increase in the past two years, and as a further blow, Governor Jerry Brown recently released his budget proposal, initiating a massive $500 million cut to the University of California. The University of California used to stand as the model for higher education, but education has clearly fallen in the list of state priorities. It is time that we organize. Small protests and…

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faculty center | UCLA

Email Exchange on Faculty Center Issue
Byuclafaculty March 4, 2011

Below is an exchange of emails between Ann Karagozian, chair of the Academic Senate, and various faculty members who wrote to her and others expressing concern about the proposed demolition of the Faculty Center and its replacement by a conference center/hotel. Various document links are noted in the email below. ================================ Dear Prof. Costa and other Senate colleagues, Thank you for your email message, below. As you are aware, the Senate has received a number of presentations from the administration regarding the proposal to build a Residential Conference Center/Faculty Club on the site of the present Faculty Center. Presentations that…

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community colleges | Master Plan | State Budget

Community Colleges Push to Offer 4-Year Degrees, But Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for It to Happen
Byuclafaculty March 3, 2011

Under the 1960 Master Plan, California community colleges were reorganized and given an explicit mission of AA and vocational degrees plus providing the first 2 years of college. Students who could not gain admission to UC or CSU could enter a community college and, if successful in completing the two year program, transfer to a UC or CSU campus. As is well known, the Master Plan has been eroding, certainly on tuition. There has also been some erosion of the notion that PhDs would be offered only at UC. There has been a push by some community colleges to expand…

Read More Community Colleges Push to Offer 4-Year Degrees, But Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for It to Happen
miscellaneous | UC

It’s Nice to Be Paid Above the Median; Too Bad Only 50% Can Be
Byuclafaculty March 3, 2011

Some news from the National Bureau of Economic Research: After a court decision on California’s “right to know” law, the Sacramento Bee newspaper established a website in early 2008 that made it possible to search for the salary of any state employee, including both faculty and staff at the University of California (UC). To determine how the availability of such salary information may affect workers’ job satisfaction, researchers David Card, Alexandre Mas, Enrico Moretti, and Emmanuel Saez contacted a random subset of employees at three UC campuses, informing them of the existence of this website. A few days later, they…

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privatization | U of Wisconsin

More on the U of Wisconsin Autonomy Story
Byuclafaculty March 2, 2011

As prior posts have noted, while the current big drama in Wisconsin revolves around Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to curtail collective bargaining for public workers, there is a second story in Wisconsin dealing with the U of Wisconsin. In fact, the two stories are joined. Insider Higher Ed pointed yours truly to Gov. Walker’s budget address given yesterday in which he said: Competing globally also means enhancing higher education. To do this we will give our flagship, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the tools it needs to remain a world leader in research and instruction – while continuing to be a…

Read More More on the U of Wisconsin Autonomy Story

Month: March 2011

Does a college degree guarantee a good job?

UCLA History: Who’s Buried in Westwood?

Non-Budget Bills on UC Introduced in the Legislature

Progress Report on the State Budget

The $40 Million Question: Two More Emails on the Faculty Center Issue

April 14th Undergrad UC Budget Protest/Event Announced

Email Exchange on Faculty Center Issue

Community Colleges Push to Offer 4-Year Degrees, But Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for It to Happen

It’s Nice to Be Paid Above the Median; Too Bad Only 50% Can Be

More on the U of Wisconsin Autonomy Story

UC Faculty Associations

Higher Ed Policy

Labor and Advocacy

UC Faculty Associations

Higher Ed Policy

Labor and Advocacy

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