Author: admin

u of Oregon

University Autonomy Issue in Oregon
Byadmin April 1, 2011

The current budget crisis seems to be pushing university system and campuses to press for more autonomy. Earlier posts on this blog have noted developments at the University of Wisconsin. Below is an excerpt of a report from the U of Oregon: From Inside Higher Ed today: …Governor John Kitzhaber and the president of the University of Oregon, Richard Lariviere, agreed Tuesday that the university would postpone for a year its push for legislation that would give it a new financing stream and an independent governing board separate and apart from the existing State Board of Higher Education. Under the…

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CalPERS | CalSTRS | governor | pension | pensions | UC Regents | uc retirement | UCOP

Part III: UCOP & Regents – Have You Talked With the Governor (Yet)? Where Are You?
Byadmin April 1, 2011

Below is a press release from Governor Brown’s office issued yesterday. It explicitly mentions CalPERS and CalSTRS. Less clear is what other state plans – including UC’s plan – would be included. One of the headings say that it applies to state and local plans. The release has definite items and some items that are under consideration. I have put in large italics some of the latter items that could pose problems for UC – depending on the precise details. Note that a pension cap is mentioned, but there is no reference to the precise $106,000 figure that earlier press…

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miscellaneous | UCLA

UCLA History: First Patient
Byadmin March 31, 2011

This 1955 photo depicts the first patient to have an operation at the UCLA hospital.

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faculty pay | politics | State Budget

California Assembly Bill Would Freeze Pay of State Employees Earning $150,000+; Urges Regents to Comply
Byadmin March 31, 2011

From the State Worker blog of the Sacramento Bee, 3/30/11: Committee OKs freeze on state pay over $150,000 per year (excerpt) The Assembly Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee has approved a bill that would freeze the pay of state employees earning more than $150,000 per year. Assembly Bill 7, authored by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena, prohibits the salary increases or bonuses for those higher-end employees until Jan.1, 2014, while they are employed in the same position or job classification… Full article at http://blogs.sacbee.com/the_state_worker/2011/03/bill-introduced-to-freeze-stat.html#ixzz1I8VZTLSJ The article provides a link to the bill. The bill contains the following language related…

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faculty center | UCLA

Taxing Credibility?
Byadmin March 30, 2011

As earlier posts on this blog have noted, the administration recently circulated an email containing a statement that commercial business was not going to be possible under the plan to build a hotel/conference center to replace the Faculty Center. The no-commercial rationale was based on the idea that if the University took commercial business, it would have to pay taxes. An article in USA Today published about a year ago, however, profiled UCLA – along with other universities – as competing for commercial business and certainly accepting it: Meeting planners cut back on conventions at pricey hotels (excerpt) USA Today,…

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faculty center | UCLA

Did You Know About the Other Conference Center / Restaurant / Hotel Being Built on Campus?
Byadmin March 30, 2011

If you had feared that UCLA is really running out of conference space and thus did need a new hotel/conference center on the site of the existing Faculty Center, you might be comforted by the project described below. The material below is taken from the website: http://uclameetings.wordpress.com/tag/ucla/ It describes a building project on the northwest section of the campus – not the Faculty Center location – which will include a restaurant seating 750, a ballroom, and “sleeping rooms” for guests. You can even link to webcams to watch the construction. See the large bold italicized text. ——-UCLA Housing Construction &…

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governor | pension | pensions | politics | State Budget | UC Regents

Governor’s Possible State Budget Deal with GOP Reported to be “Dead”
Byadmin March 30, 2011

From “Jerry Brown declares budget talks dead,” Capitol Alert, 3/29/11 Brown did not specify what he would do next… Brown is considering alternative ways to put tax extensions on the ballot, either by a majority in the Legislature or by a ballot initiative. He suggested in his release that he may be skeptical of the majority-vote approach, saying the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority. Full article at http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/03/brown-budget-talks-with-republ.html#ixzz1I2KX8500 If the talks are truly dead, the issue of the November ballot initiatives (see earlier blog posts) arises. One, as noted in prior posts, would impose a 60% cap on public pensions,…

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miscellaneous | UCLA

UCLA History: The Normal School Before Vermont Avenue
Byadmin March 29, 2011

If you have been tracking some of the old photos of UCLA on this blog – or just know some UCLA history – you know that UCLA began by taking over the campus of the State Normal School on Vermont Avenue before the move to Westwood. But the State Normal School itself had an earlier history. It was first located on the site of what is now the Central Library of LA City. This photo shows that downtown campus circa 1900. The photo, related photos, and information on this earlier history can be found at http://blogdowntown.com/2011/03/6199-why-doesnt-hope-go-through-las-state-normal

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faculty center | UCLA

Official Statement on Faculty Center Demolition and Replacement Raises Interesting Questions
Byadmin March 29, 2011

In yesterday’s post on this blog about the proposed hotel/conference center that would replace the Faculty Center, the most recent statement on the project from the administration was included as an update/link. The Center is shown here on the right, back in the day (when budgets were flush). That latest statement is puzzling as it refers to the consultant’s report on the project and yet seems to contradict it. The consultant seemed to assume that there would be outside (non-UCLA) business conducted at the hotel/conference center. The consultant’s report had estimates of taxes to be paid. However, the most recent…

Read More Official Statement on Faculty Center Demolition and Replacement Raises Interesting Questions
governor | pension | pensions | politics | UC Regents | UCOP

UCOP & Regents Out of the Loop on Public Pensions: Here is a way to get into the loop
Byadmin March 28, 2011

As has been noted on previous blog posts, UC is in danger of letting the pension issue get away from it. The governor has – according to news reports – agreed to a $106,000 cap on public pensions. Legislative Republicans have filed an initiative putting a cap of 60% of final pay on pensions. Both caps clearly apply to new hires and clearly do not apply to those already retired. There is uncertainty about what would be applicable to current employees. The initiative – which is poorly drafted – explicitly covers UC. We don’t know about the possible $106,000 cap…

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Author: admin

University Autonomy Issue in Oregon

Part III: UCOP & Regents – Have You Talked With the Governor (Yet)? Where Are You?

UCLA History: First Patient

California Assembly Bill Would Freeze Pay of State Employees Earning $150,000+; Urges Regents to Comply

Taxing Credibility?

Did You Know About the Other Conference Center / Restaurant / Hotel Being Built on Campus?

Governor’s Possible State Budget Deal with GOP Reported to be “Dead”

UCLA History: The Normal School Before Vermont Avenue

Official Statement on Faculty Center Demolition and Replacement Raises Interesting Questions

UCOP & Regents Out of the Loop on Public Pensions: Here is a way to get into the loop

UC Faculty Associations

Higher Ed Policy

Labor and Advocacy

UC Faculty Associations

Higher Ed Policy

Labor and Advocacy

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