Year: 2013

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    GlaxoSmithKline Problem Said to Be Fixed

    Byuclafaculty

    Back in May, we blogged about a cautionary note from UCLA indicating that a grant competition from GlaxoSmithKline appeared to circumvent university procedures. Now an email has gone out to faculty indicating that the problem has been fixed: I am pleased to report we resolved the barriers to faculty participation in the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Discovery Fast Track Competition. We encourage faculty who are developing novel drug targets and drug screening assays to consider applying for this program. When the competition initially launched, we found that the terms and conditions to be at odds with UC policies and faculty interests. We…

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    Get Ready to Miss the Bus

    Byuclafaculty

    As we noted in a prior blog post, on July 8 they are coming to rip up the Ackerman bus turnaround in preparation for the construction of -TA-TA! – the UCLA Grand Hotel.  That step will put facts-on-the-ground while litigation continues.  Here is the official notice from the transportation folks: The Ackerman Turnaround and its bus terminal will be closed due to the construction of the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference and Guest Center for the period of July 8, 2013 through summer 2016. This closure affects campus traffic circulation, bus service, and general wayfinding, as the Turnaround is an…

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    There are at least two ways to skin the business school self-sufficiency cat

    Byuclafaculty

    Inside Higher Ed today has a lengthy article about the Anderson School’s self-sufficiency MBA program.  The theme, however, is that the UC-Berkeley Haas School is doing the same thing in different ways that haven’t caused a ruckus with the Academic Senate.  Both schools say the object is to put more money in the kitty and gain more “flexibility.” You can read about it at:http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/02/uc-business-schools-see-different-levels-resistance-innovation-plans

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    Lest You Thought It Couldn’t Happen at UCLA…

    Byuclafaculty

    Unfortunately, problems of the type that happened at Penn State U apparently can happen at UCLA.  From the LA Times:A longtime UCLA athletics official resigned amid allegations that he “engaged in inappropriate conduct,” the university said in a statement released Tuesday to The Times. UCLA Associate Athletic Director Michael Sondheimer resigned June 27 after being placed on administrative leave June 3, the statement said. CBS 2 reported that Sondheimer “attempted to engage children in sexual chats” online.  Sondheimer graduated from UCLA in 1977 and spent at least 36 years as a UCLA athletic administrator, according to a biography posted on the UCLA Athletics website. For decades…

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    Vim and Vigor on UC Online Higher Ed

    Byuclafaculty

    From the Sacramento Bee Capitol Alert blog: Jerry Brown says UC, CSU leaders pledged to pursue online ed ‘vigorously’ Gov. Jerry Brown said today that he vetoed his own budget proposal to earmark $20 million for online education at the University of California and California State University systems only after leaders of those institutions assured him they would pursue online course offerings on their own.“I had an agreement from both the segments that they would carry out online vigorously,” Brown told reporters at an event in Sacramento. “As the leader of both governing boards, I’m actively engaged with both the…

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    Listen to the Regents Meeting of Jan. 17, 2013

    Byuclafaculty

    This post completes our archiving of the Regents meetings of January 15-17, 2013.  Check our posting of June 30 for an explanation as to why we are archiving these meetings (and why it should not be necessary).  Below is the agenda of the Jan. 17 meeting: Agenda: Thursday, January 17, 2013 8:30 am Committee of the Whole – Public Comment (open session) 8:50 am Committee on Finance (open session) 11:00 am Committee on Governance (open session) 11:15 am Board (open session) Click on the link below to hear the meeting:

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    More Scrutiny of University Enterprise Tax Exempt Status

    Byuclafaculty

    Pay up! We have from time to time noted the potential tax problems of the UCLA Grand Hotel project.  More generally, there is growing scrutiny of commercial-type activity conducted by universities that claim tax exemptions.  Inside Higher Ed today points to a court decision that questions Princeton’s tax exempt status.  It links to a local New Jersey newspaper: A lawsuit that argues Princeton University violates the provisions of its tax-exempt status survived a university-led attempt to throw the case out Thursday. Plaintiffs in the case argue that, because Princeton is earning hundreds of millions of dollars in patent royalty income…

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    Changing Demographics

    Byuclafaculty

    The Sacramento Bee today carries this demographic chart showing the Latino and white/non-Latino populations are roughly equal in California at present and the relative growth in the Latino population is projected to continue.  Due to citizenship and voting propensities, the white/non-Latino group still predominates in elections.  However, the times, they are a’changing – as the song goes – with implications for UC and higher ed in California more generally. The article that accompanies the chart can be found at:http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/01/5536254/latinos-poised-to-catch-up-with.html In a related article on the impact of Prop 209, the LA Times notes: …Latinos’ presence, after a temporary dip, has…

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    Listen to the Jan. 16, 2013 Afternoon Meeting of the Regents

    Byuclafaculty

    Don’t worry.  Gas mask not needed to listen to Regents.. We have been posting past (2013) meetings of the Regents because of their current archiving policy.  For more details on why this is necessary to preserve the record of these sessions, scroll down to our June 30, 2013 posts. Much of the afternoon of Jan. 16 was taken up with closed sessions which are not available.  Included in the open discussions was a proposed medical building at UCLA (about which we have previously blogged) which is controversial because of the costs involved. Below is the agenda: 1:15 pm Committee on…