Author: admin

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    Quality Matters

    Byadmin

    Unusual Research Finding From Nazi Policies at Universities http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/07/08/nazi July 8, 2010 An economist’s research into the Nazi regime’s dismissals of Jewish mathematics professors in the 1930’s has led him to conclude that in Ph.D. supervision, big is beautiful. Between 1933 and 1934, about 18 per cent of all mathematics professors in Germany were stripped of their posts by the Nazis, including some of the most eminent scholars of the day. Fabian Waldinger, assistant professor in the department of economics at the University of Warwick, in Britain, studied the impact of those dismissals on the mathematicians’ doctoral students. He found…

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    Post-Employment Benefits session audios

    Byadmin

    The UC Post-Employment Benefits Taskforce was hosted by the UCLA Academic Senate on 5-4-10. Below are links to audios (videos with a still picture) of that session. The audios are in 10 parts. Parts 1-8 run about 14 minutes each. Parts 9 and 10 run about 8 minutes each. You can access these audios at the following addresses: PEB audios 5-4-10 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 (end)

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    Awareness of UCOF soon-to-be released report is growing

    Byadmin

    (As the op ed below suggests, folks are beginning to become aware of the potential controversy that will surround the report of the UC Commission on the Future, to be released soon. NOTE: The same op ed appeared June 21 in another newspaper and was posted to the now-defunct savingUCLA website and then copied to this website earlier.) Bakersfield Californianhttp://www.thecalifornian.com/print/article/20100705/OPINION02/7050302/Thomas-Elias-UC-regents-to-put-pressure-on-Sacramento July 5, 2010UC regents to put pressure on Sacramento By Thomas Elias It’s almost as if the Board of Regents that runs the University of California can’t wait to fire a warning shot across the figurative bow of Gov. Arnold…

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    UCOF Audios from Dec. 7, 2009

    Byadmin

    The UC Commission on the Future met at Covel Commons, UCLA, on Dec. 7, 2009. There were four basic segments: Public, Staff, Faculty, and Students. The Public and Staff Segments are in 7 Parts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 (end) The Faculty Segment is in Three Parts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 (end) The Student Segment is in 4 Parts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 (end)

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    State Fiscal Developments as of July 1

    Byadmin

    The new state fiscal year has begun with no budget enacted. In the short term, there are few consequences although the longer the no-budget period drags on, the more notable the impact as various state suppliers and local entities are not paid. UC has typically been able to deal with prolonged budget delays although certain payments to it are delayed. A list of what the state controller can and cannot pay can be found at: http://www.sco.ca.gov/July_2010_payments.html Until a day or so ago, there were 3 budget plans: the governor’s May revise and separate plans from the Democrats in the assembly…

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    Proposal for a new faculty pay plan based on med school model

    Byadmin

    Below is a link to a document from a joint senate-administration committee on faculty pay. The thrust of it is a plan to apply a med-school type compensation plan to other faculty, essentially a base state salary with supplements paid out of research grants or non-state sources. The document recognizes that for many non-med faculty, such grants/sources will not be available. I checked with UCOP to be sure this is not a confidential document before posting it. http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BzVLYPK7QI_4MjBmYjJjOGUtOWYzZi00MjBlLWI4NDctMDQ4YjNiZTM5OWMy&hl=en&authkey=CMv_4-AO

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    Somewhat dueling ballot initiatives for November

    Byadmin

    Various propositions will be on the November ballot with implications for the state budget – and, therefore, the UC budget. One would eliminate the 2/3 super-majority vote required to pass the budget and change it to a simple majority. It would not change the 2/3 requirement for raising taxes. (The 2/3 vote on budgets goes back to the Great Depression; the 2/3 vote on taxes was part of Prop 13 of 1978.) But another initiative would impose the 2/3 requirement on raising “fees.” The fee vs. tax distinction is not always clear and has provided some wiggle room for the…