Author: admin

  • Some Data to Ponder on the Labor Day Weekend

    Byadmin

    Below are data from a table from the recently-released “The Digest of Educational Statistics 2009” published by the National Center for Educational Statistics. It shows the estimated rate of 2005-06 high school graduates attending degree-granting institutions, by state, in 2006. Note that California – despite all of the talk we hear about preparing the workforce of the future – is not particularly highly ranked. The full table is available at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/tables/dt09_203.asp United States…………. 62.0% ——————————- Mississippi ………….. 75.4 New York …………….. 75.0 Massachusetts ………… 72.6 South Dakota …………. 72.1 North Dakota …………. 71.9 New Mexico …………… 71.1 New Jersey ………………

  • Hey Professor! What’s Your Bottom Line, Texas Style?

    Byadmin

    Texas A&M System grades faculty — by bottom line (excerpt) September 01, 2010, Vim Patel, The Eagle Frank Ashley felt the shifting winds several years ago: As state officials embarked on accountability measures for K-12 teachers, he said, he told his faculty colleagues that public sentiment would eventually demand such measures in higher education. Now, Ashley, the vice chancellor for academic affairs for the A&M System, has been put in charge of creating such a measure that he says would help administrators and the public better understand who, from a financial standpoint, is pulling their weight. A several-inches thick document…

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    What Exactly is an Aspirational Graduate Student?

    Byadmin

    Below is an excerpt from California Watch: UC commission looks to boost grad student enrollment (excerpt): Erica Perez, September 2, 2010 A commission that advises the University of California on its long-term goals this week recommended increasing the proportion of graduate students at the UC from 22 percent to 26 percent of the student body. The 25-member UC Commission on the Future discussed the need for more graduate students at their Aug. 31 saying the move was necessary to serve the university’s research mission and educate California’s future professors. Considering the university’s tight budget, however, moving to increase graduate students…

  • Upcoming State Supreme Court Furlough Case Could Have Spillover Effect on UC

    Byadmin

    The governor has won some furlough cases and lost others in lower court decisions. At issue is his authority to impose the furloughs. The issue is going to be heard at the California Supreme Court next week, Sept. 8. UC furloughs are not part of the case since they were not imposed by the governor. However, if the governor loses, substantial back pay could be owed to state workers who were furloughed. The contrast of back pay ordered for state workers but none for UC would undoubtedly raise pressure on UC management to consider some kind of recompense for its…

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    Governor’s Press Conference on the Budget Focuses on Public Pensions

    Byadmin

    The legislative session ended August 31 with votes on Democratic and Republican versions of the budget that were known in advance not to have sufficient votes. Two thirds is required to pass a budget although there will be a proposition on the November ballot to reduce the requirement to a simple majority. Today, the governor held a press conference. Much of it was devoted to his insistence that a budget deal cannot be reached unless there is pension reform. A link to the press conference is provided below. However, the key point for UC is that we remain in danger…

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    More Moving Towards Michigan

    Byadmin

    Money may not grow on trees. But under the so-called Michigan Model – after a plan adopted by the University of Michigan – out of state students are an attractive substitute for a money tree because they pay full tuition. UC-Berkeley has already headed in the direction of pulling in more out-of-staters. Now it is reported that UC as a whole is likely to be moving in that direction under a recommendation of the Committee on the Future. From the San Francisco Chronicle (Excerpt): UC sees money in out-of-state students Wednesday, September 1, 2010, Nanette Asimov Ask any University of…

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    A Hidden Issue in the PEB Report (In Plain Sight)

    Byadmin

    I have been posting about the recently-released Post-Employment Benefits Task Force report. If you go to the master website where the report and related documents are available, and if you scroll way down to the bottom, you will find the dissenting minority report. It is almost lost in the clutter but you can go directly there at http://universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/ucrpfuture/files/2010/08/peb_dissenting_082510.pdf On page 6 of that dissenting report, you will find a seemingly-technical discussion entitled “Is There a Need for Risk Adjustment in the Total Remuneration Study?” Don’t mistake that section for a mere dispute among pension experts. UC has a defined-benefit (DB)…

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    Whitman Radio Ad Proposes Transfer of $1 Billion from Welfare to Higher Ed

    Byadmin

    The latest radio ad from gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman proposes adding $1 billion to the budget for UC and CSU. The money is to be obtained from reductions in welfare spending by tightening up the welfare program. Click on the video at the bottom of this post (the big round circle in the center) to hear the ad. Joe Mathews, author of the Schwarzenegger bio book, “The People’s Machine,” critiques the ad at http://www.nbclosangeles.com/blogs/prop-zero/A-Meg-Idea-That-Doesnt-Add-Up-101817413.html Excerpt from Mathews: Meg Whitman’s new radio ad features what sounds like a good idea: Take $1 billion from what she describes as California’s bloated welfare…

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    The Daily Californian: UC Struggles to Fill Multi-Billion Dollar Pension Deficit

    Byadmin

    I couldn’t find any write-ups on the Post-Employment Benefits Task Force report in the press so far, including in the Daily Bruin. However, UC-Berkeley student paper does have a write-up with the graph above as part of the article. Note that the article correctly identifies the long contribution holiday as the major source of the underfunding problem. For the text, see below: The Daily Californian UC Struggles to Fill Multi-Billion Dollar Pension Deficit By Jordan Bach-Lombardo and Javier Panzar Monday, August 30, 2010 http://www.dailycal.org/article/110146/uc_struggles_to_fill_multi-billion_dollar_pension_ A decision made nearly 20 years ago to stop paying into the University of California’s pension…

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    Texas Goes for the Gold as an Investment; UC Is Unlikely to Do So

    Byadmin

    Inside Higher Ed reports that the University of Texas is investing part of its portfolio in gold, ostensibly as a hedge against inflation. It is unlikely that UC will follow that route. As the article notes, a possible explanation for the U of Texas decision is the idea favored in conservative circles – and particularly enhanced by Glenn Beck’s promotion of gold sales on Fox – that the US economy is about to experience a wave of inflation. There is in fact an indicator of what financial markets expect in the way of inflation over the next decade. The difference…