Author: admin

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    Students: Don’t Get Sick at UC-Berkeley

    Byadmin

    The previous post on this blog outlined cutbacks in UC-Berkeley athletics. Apparently, for those student athletes who remain and who are covered by the Berkeley health insurance plan, injuries should be avoided. From a Wall St. Journal story on health plans at various universities: Paula Villescaz, a senior at the University of California at Berkeley, says she never looked closely at the Anthem Blue Cross insurance policy she got through her college. The plan has a $400,000 ceiling, but also has some important limitations, as Ms. Villescaz found out recently. The political-science major had always been healthy—until March, when doctors…

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    UC-Berkeley Chancellor Cuts Back on Athletics

    Byadmin

    UC-Berkeley’s chancellor announced cutbacks yesterday in the athletics program, which has been subsidized by the campus. In doing so, he followed UC-Davis in a similar move (which has brought controversy). Excerpt from the official press release: Chancellor announces new plan for Cal Athletics’ future 28 September 2010 BERKELEY — University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau announced today… a comprehensive plan for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics that will result in a broad-based yet sustainable program that continues to support the campus’s commitment to excellence. At the end of this academic year, baseball, men’s and women’s gymnastics, and women’s…

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    Audio of Jerry Brown – Meg Whitman Debate of 9-28-10

    Byadmin

    The first debate between Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman in the 2010 gubernatorial contest was held on Sept. 28. Although video via internet was promised, I found that one feed did not work at all and another was sporadic and often froze. Although public radio stations KCRW and KPCC did carry the audio, local TV stations did not. (I note in that respect that KCET – which now has 4 digital over-the-air channels – did not bother to carry the debate.) Bottom line: Only audio could be recorded. There may be other sources for the audio. But I have posted…

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    State Budget Negotiations Reportedly Hung Up on Pensions Issue

    Byadmin

    Supposedly, a “framework” for a state budget deal was worked out last week by the “Big-5” (governor + 4 legislative leaders). News reports suggest that public pensions remain a key issue (although the immediate effect of creating a two-tier pension system, etc., on the state budget for this fiscal year is small.) Democrats want the governor to use collective bargaining with state unions to cut a pension deal. The governor wants the legislature to impose a deal. Note that a budget could be passed that on paper assumes the governor bargains a deal with the unions. Whether the governor would…

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    Yes, Virginia: There Is No Santa Claus

    Byadmin

    Virginia is often cited as a state which followed the “Michigan Model” in which the public system becomes semi-privatized. According to Inside Higher Ed, all is not well in Virginia as the state there seems to be grabbing money from the universities. False Ideal? (excerpts) September 28, 2010 Virginia’s “restructuring” agreements, which provided select universities greater autonomy over finances in exchange for less state support, have emerged as a model that some public institutions in cash-strapped areas of the country would like to emulate. But to hear it from finance chiefs at Virginia universities now covered by restructuring, the agreements…

  • Brown-Whitman Debate: Tuesday, Sept. 28, 6 PM

    Byadmin

    The Jerry Brown vs. Meg Whitman gubernatorial debate will be available for live-stream viewing on the Internet on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 6 PM at http://debate.ucdavis.edu/ and listening at http://www.capradio.org I am assuming that local public radio stations will carry it, too. The KPCC (89.3) website says the debate will be broadcast at 7 PM, so I assume it will be a recording one hour after the actual event. UPDATE: KCRW (89.9) will carry the debate live at 6 PM.

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    Three-Year Undergrad Degrees

    Byadmin

    One of the ideas that has been surfaced as part of the UC Commission on the Future was a three-year undergraduate degree option. The article below notes that a campus of the U of Massachusetts is moving in that direction. UMass will offer 3-year degree plan: Amherst school, following national trend, cites costs (excerpts) By Tracy Jan, Boston Globe | September 27, 2010 Seeking to trim the cost of a college degree at a time when many families are struggling with tuition, the University of Massachusetts Amherst this fall plans to introduce a program to make it easier for students…

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    UCOP’s Webinar on Retirement Benefits Available

    Byadmin

    UCOP ran a Town Hall webinar on the Post-Employment Benefits Task Force report last Friday. It is now available as a streaming video. You can access it below or by going to http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/9789931 Because there is no guarantee of how long it may remain available, I have additionally recorded it. If at some point the streaming video becomes unavailable, I can repost it. The entire session runs about 90 minutes. Pay special attention to the comments by UC-Berkeley Prof. Robert Anderson, vice chair of the systemwide Academic Council and the chair of TFIR, the subcommittee on retirement issues that reports…