News

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    Shooting Arrows

    Byadmin

    The Daily Bruin carries a story today about possible construction of an archery range on campus as a component of a large donation which is raising some ecology concerns.  Apparently, the area currently contains California native plants and is used in some coursework and has raised some faculty objections.  As pressures for fundraising ramp up – reflective of the larger university/state budget situation – these kinds of conflicts over university property and land use seem to keep cropping up.  Earlier – and still-current – examples involve the hotel/conference center project and the proposed sale of the Japanese Garden. Excerpt: Just…

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    Regent Carter Background & the Japanese Garden Issue

    Byadmin

    Because of the Japanese Garden issue, blog readers might be interested in Regent Carter (at left in the 1966 photo above with UC President Clark Kerr at right giving presentation to Prince Philip).  Ultimately, the Japanese Garden was a gift of the Carter family. Here are some excerpts and links: From the Harvard Business School: Carter developed the first suburban shopping center in 1947 in Los Angeles and popularized regional chain stores. Carter started with three regional stores in Los Angeles in 1946, and by 1980, had grown that number to 47. Carter expanded the company nationally through acquisitions, such…

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    OMG! Whoops. Oh My Whatever-You-Are!

    Byadmin

    Inside Higher Ed pointed to this story: “It’s no wonder President Obama wants every kid to go to college,” said… former Pennsylvania senator (Santorum.) “The indoctrination that occurs in American universities is one of the keys to the left holding and maintaining power in America. And it is indoctrination. If it was the other way around, the ACLU would be out there making sure that there wasn’t one penny of government dollars going to colleges and universities, right?” He continued: “If they taught Judeo-Christian principles in those colleges and universities, they would be stripped of every dollar. If they teach…

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    CSU establishes salary cap for campus presidents

    Byadmin

    CSU has adopted a salary cap for its campus presidents, equivalent of UC chancellors.  Will the Regents take similar action? The California State University board of trustees on Wednesday capped salaries of newly hired campus presidents at $325,000 after an outcry over a $400,000 pay package approved for a new president last year when tuition shot up 12 percent.  The new policy will establish a salary ceiling of $325,000 or raise the salary by no more than 10 percent of the pay received by the outgoing president… Full story at http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/25/4214329/csu-trustees-consider-capping.html Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/25/4214329/csu-trustees-consider-capping.html#storylink=cpy

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    New Payroll System Coming: Maybe You Should Save Some Cash Just in Case

    Byadmin

    The Daily Bruin today carries an article about a new systemwide payroll system that is supposed to be installed in stages through 2013.  However, an initial phase is starting soon at UCLA: Although details for the program are still being sorted out, the UCPath Project will essentially create a more simplified process for paying university employees than in the past.Proposed changes to the current system include standardized pay cycles among all 10 campuses. For example, all academic employees and postdoctoral scholars within the UC will be paid bimonthly. Temporary employees and health systems staff will be paid biweekly. Right now,…

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    Meeting on UCLA Japanese Garden Announced

    Byadmin

    The photo on the left shows UCLA students in the Japanese Garden in 1965. It has been reported to yours truly that there will be a meeting about the proposed sale of the garden next week, possibly including UCLA officials.  Below in italics is the announcement I received: Tuesday, January 31 5-7 p.m. Auditorium Community Magnet School  11301 Bellagio Road Los Angeles, CA 90049 Garden lovers, neighbors, and the interested public are invited to a meeting in Bel-Air on Tuesday evening, January 31, to discuss the future of the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden. UCLA has announced plans to sell the…

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    Obama on Higher Ed Tuition and State Support

    Byadmin

    In the State of the Union address last night, President Obama called on states to enhance their higher ed budgets and universities to hold down tuition.  Whether the California state legislature is going to heed that request is another matter, of course. The President talked about less federal aid if tuition goes up, although in what form that would come about was not clear.Video clip below. “When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college.  At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the…

  • PPIC Poll on Taxes

    Byadmin

    Above is the latest PPIC poll dealing with taxes and Gov. Brown’s proposed initiative to raise them temporarily.  Keep in mind that polls tend to be full of contradictory attitudes. And this is January but the actual initiative won’t be on the ballot until November.  There will be lots of events between now and then. The full poll is at http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/survey/S_112MBS.pdf. Note: If you click on the image above, you will see a clearer picture.

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    On the Japanese Garden: Let’s Hear It from the Top

    Byadmin

    OK. It appears – after the embarrassing LA Timesarticle yesterday on the Japanese Garden proposed sale by UCLA – that the ship has run aground.*  We have angry heirs of a donor, a major Regent of his time.  We may discourage future donors because of this episode.  We have a statement that it was not the intent to destroy the garden, but – in contrast to that statement – the removal of objects from it in an amateur way.  And it is unclear that folks at the Fowler Museum want those objects.  There are angry neighborhood groups and concerned preservation…