Author: uclafaculty

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More on Chez UC

Byuclafaculty

UC weighs what to do with abandoned president’s mansion: Luxurious 13,200-square-foot Blake House near Berkeley has been deteriorating for years. Officials are considering alternatives to avoid $2 million for basic maintenance, $10 million for a full renovation (excerpts) By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times, October 4, 2010 Blake House is a lonely, empty place these days. The Mediterranean-style mansion near Berkeley that is intended to be the official residence of the University of California president has not been occupied since 2008. Apart from three UC Berkeley social events this year, its grand entertainment rooms are chilly and silent, with most…

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UCLA Research on Cruise Uncontrol

Byuclafaculty

Mal de debarquement, marked by a constant swaying sensation, can follow a boat or plane trip: Research at UCLA seeks answers (excerpts) Sonja Bjelland, Los Angeles Times, October 3, 2010 Amanda Coronado wakes up every morning wondering whether she’ll be able to walk out of her bedroom. It’s almost impossible on a bad day. The world is moving too much for her to keep her balance. “I can’t just go for a run,” she said. “I can hardly find my feet.” During the first week of August, Coronado took a cruise along the Mexican coast. Since stepping off the ship,…

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UCLA Town Hall on Post-Employment Benefits: October 14

Byuclafaculty

There will be a UCLA Faculty/Emeriti Town Hall on Post-Employment Benefits (PEB): Thursday, October 14, 2010,10:00 a.m. to noon, Royce Hall Auditorium. Some concerns have been expressed about a controlled agenda. It is important that the dissenting report to the PEB Task Force be adequately expressed along with the views of UCFW (which supports the dissenting report). Yesterday, the University Emeriti and Pre-Retirement Relations Committee passed a resolution endorsing the UCFW position. If you attend, look to see that there is full discussion. Attempts to control (censor) messages or protect the audience from alternative views are counterproductive.

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UC Gets Good PR on Enrollment of Pell Grant/Low-Income Students

Byuclafaculty

UC boosts ranks of low-income students: Officials cite financial aid, with a record high 39% of undergraduates getting federal Pell grants (excerpt) By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times, October 2, 2010 The University of California, sensitive to criticism about student fee hikes, reported Friday that more low-income undergraduates than ever are enrolling at its campuses and said financial aid is helping them to stay. An estimated 70,000 UC undergraduates are receiving federal Pell grants, which typically are awarded to students with family incomes below $50,000. According to the report, that is the largest number in UC history and represents 39%…

He Said, She Said: Another Gubernatorial Debate Today

Byuclafaculty

For those who did not satisfy their debate hunger last week, there will be another gubernatorial debate today (Saturday, Oct. 2) on Channel 34 Univision, 4 PM. This one will be bilingual. Given the week’s housekeeper-gate events (see lower picture), there will surely be questions on immigration. Whether there will be much on higher ed literally remains to be seen. UPDATE: You can see major excerpts from the debate at http://univision34.univision.com/destino2010/gubernatorial-debate/gubernatorial-debate-videos/ Since it is not clear how long those excerpts will remain posted, here are links to audio (video with a still picture): Brown-Whitman Univision debate 10-2-10: Part 1 (Latino…

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Fast Online Degrees

Byuclafaculty

One of the issues raised by the recent review of the University Committee on the Future is the possibility of three-year undergraduate degrees. Efficiency through online courses is another topic that has been raised. Some faculty are concerned that such accelerated degrees would leave students missing something that they might gain through the more traditional four-year approach. In a 1971 radio broadcast, commentator Jean Shepherd seems to have arrived at a substitute for whatever might be missing. A quick click where indicated below suggests the alternative. A modest proposal.

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The Creeping Michigan Model at UCLA

Byuclafaculty

Part of the so-called Michigan Model, sometimes called high tuition/high aid, involves recruitment of out-of-state students who pay full tuition. The article below indicates it is coming slowly to UCLA. UCLA recruits nonresidents: University to actively seek increased enrollment of high-paying international and out-of-state students (excerpt) Devin Kelly, Daily Bruin, 10/1/10 Word-of-mouth drew Meng Cui to UCLA, its basketball legends and reputation of high-level education. Raised in China, schooled in Singapore, the first-year math economics student did all of his own research before applying last fall. “UCLA is famous in China,” Cui said. But the university is no longer banking…

Governor Vetoes Bill Concerning Disclosure of Campus Foundation Information

Byuclafaculty

Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have made UC and CSU campus fundraising foundations more “transparent.” It originated in a controversy over payment to Sarah Palin for speaking at a fundraiser for CSU-Stanislaus. The veto message is below and also at http://dl5.activatedirect.com/fs/distribution:letterFile/yvcee9xanplikz_files/z65dg7ivka5nt3/0/0?&_c=d|yvcee9xanplikz|z65p1zm6c0d0km&_ce=1285940017.3ee23edd36312a2e65a4379f82364fb4 The text of the vetoed bill is at http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0301-0350/sb_330_bill_20100819_enrolled.html

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More on Growing Public Pension Issue In California

Byuclafaculty

As noted in previous posts on this blog, the UC pension funding issue may be difficult to isolate from the more general issue in California, particularly if the Regents don’t have a policy in place when the next governor takes office. Below is an excerpt from a piece reporting on a variety of local ballot initiatives on the pension topic, especially a high-profile San Francisco ballot measure. Pension cost cuts on ballot in eight cities (excerpt) Ed Mendel, calpensions.com, 9/30/10 Proposals to cut public employee pension costs are on the November ballot in at least eight California cities and one…

Interesting Study on Diversity in Higher Ed

Byuclafaculty

The study described in the article abstracted below was based on a data set from Berea College in Kentucky and the authors are duly cautious about generalizing to all of higher ed. However, the results are interesting. Interracial Friendships in College (Abstract) Braz Camargo, São Paulo School of Economics–FGV and University of Western Ontario;Ralph Stinebrickner, Berea College; Todd Stinebrickner, University of Western Ontario and National Bureau of Economic Research Journal of Labor Economics, 28:861–892, October 2010 We use unique longitudinal data to provide direct evidence about interracial friendships at different stages of college and to provide new evidence about some…