Author: uclafaculty

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The Iceman Cometh: Will UC Feel Compelled to Follow Gov. Brown’s Hiring Freeze?

Byuclafaculty

Earlier today, Gov. Brown froze hiring at state agencies with only limited exceptions. In his executive order, he “requests” that agencies not under his direct control implement similar programs. (See the bold oversize text below.) Below is the text of the order: EXECUTIVE ORDER B-3-11 WHEREAS, California’s significant imbalance between revenues and expenditures has resulted in an estimated budget deficit of $25.4 billion; and WHEREAS, strong measures must be implemented to reduce costs and to regain and safeguard the trust of the people of California; and WHEREAS, Executive Order B-1-11, issued on January 11, 2011, ordered state agencies and departments…

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LAO Describes Slash and Burn Budget if Voters Do Not Approve Tax Extensions

Byuclafaculty

As prior posts have noted, Gov. Brown at one point seemed poised to present a budget from Hell that would assume no tax extensions. He would then offer the tax extensions as salvation. However, that strategy was not followed and the budget actually proposed assumes voters enact the tax extensions. However, the Legislative Analyst has – at the request of some legislators – has in fact indicated what a budget from Hell might look like. Below is an item excerpted from Capital Alert that describes the finding and notes the higher ed implications: Legislative analyst identifies massive cuts if taxes…

On a Lighter Note: Love is in the Air at UCLA on Valentine’s Day

Byuclafaculty

Valentine’s Day unmasking A special Valentine’s Day viewing of a new exhibition at the Fowler Museum will be held Monday, Feb. 14. “Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley” unmasks the history of Central Nigeria by examining the dynamic interrelationships among its peoples and their ritual arts. You can see 150 wood sculptures, masks, ceramic vessels as well as elaborate bronze and iron regalia. There will also be Valentine’s Day treats in the courtyard served from 2-4 p.m. ==================And for those looking for (almost) eternal love, this blog offers:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i96M0YDfGE]

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“It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” May Apply to the UC Pension

Byuclafaculty

In previous posts on this blog, we kept you informed on the various steps up to the pension changes adopted by the UC Regents last December. But we have also noted that what the Regents did may not be the final word. There could be an initiative on the ballot that would override what the Regents did, sweeping UC into some general state/local pension changes. Most recently, the Legislative Analyst indicated the state might aid UC’s pension funding – but for a price involving some further changes. See the earlier post on that development. In this post, two reports are…

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Columnist Peter Schrag on Privatization at UC

Byuclafaculty

Berkeley: A privatized public university? (excerpts) Sacramento Bee, Feb. 12, 2011 Peter Schrag A year ago, when the University of California announced sharp boosts in tuition, staff furloughs and other measures to cope with declining state funding, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis and other UC campuses seethed with protests. Among the loudest complaints from students was that the higher costs would make it financially impossible for them to continue at UC. The most common refrain was the call to protect what the demonstrators called “our university.” But this summer and fall, after Berkeley included some 900 fewer California residents in…

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Baseball Strikes Out at UC-Berkeley

Byuclafaculty

In the continuing saga of athletics at UC-Berkeley, it appears the game is over for baseball. Berkeley has subsidized athletics and is cutting back for budgetary reasons. The article below has the story and updates previous posts.Cal to save 3 sports, cut baseball, gymnastics John Crumpacker, San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 12, 2011 An effort by Cal sports supporters and officials to save five teams ended Friday with mixed results. UC Berkeley announced that men’s rugby, women’s gymnastics and women’s lacrosse would remain as varsity programs, less than five months after Cal announced the teams would have to be cut or…

Texas Gov. Perry Proposes Dirt Cheap $10,000 BA

Byuclafaculty

Insider Higher Ed today pointed me to Texas Governor Perry’s proposal for a $10,000 BA. From http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/Perry-proposes-10000-bachelor-degree During his state of the state address Tuesday, Gov. Rick Perry said it is time for colleges and universities to lay out a low-cost path to a degree. “It’s time for a bold, Texas-style solution to their challenge that I’m sure the brightest minds in their universities can devise,” said Perry. “Today I’m challenging our institutions of higher education to develop bachelors degrees that cost not more than $10,000 including textbooks.” It is a goal Perry said could be reached with online courses…

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LAO’s Position is that State Pension Contributions to UC are Voluntary & Should Come With Conditions

Byuclafaculty

The Legislative Analyst’s Office has released a video of about 15 minutes on public pensions. Most of the discussion deals with CalPERS, CalSTRS, and other systems. There are occasional references to UC at various points in the video. However, at the end it is stated that the state at some point should voluntarily contribute to UC but make that contribution conditional on the UC pension being more or less the same as other state systems. Put another way, the LAO’s position is that the state has no legal obligation to contribute at any point. Moreover, the video describes a future…