News

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    Is the ball still in their court or has the train left the station?

    Byadmin

    Hey! Let’s rebuild the old stadium! Sorry to mix metaphors.  But Inside Higher Ed today has a long story on Berkeley athletics which have recently been in the news for low graduation rates and problems in funding a stadium upgrade.  A white paper from the Berkeley Center for the Study of Higher Education suggests that the program is running as an autonomous and relatively uncontrolled business operation. It is written by a former vice chancellor – who can now tell all -and a Berkeley grad student. See http://cshe.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/shared/publications/docs/ROPS.CSHE_.12.13.Cummins%26Hextrum.CalAthletics.1.6.2014.pdf and http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/01/08/highlighting-berkeley-paper-explores-academic-damage-expanding-independent-athletics The issue is whether control can be retaken or whether…

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    Neutral

    Byadmin

    Proponents of the  proposed pension/retiree health care initiative (that would cover UC) were afraid the attorney general would come up with a nasty title and summary.  It doesn’t seem to have happened, however.  Other than the references to teachers, nurses, and peace officers (the public’s favorite public employees), it is pretty neutral.  To the extent there is mention of costs, the references come from the earlier Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) report.  Below is the title and summary: January 6, 2014 Initiative 13-0043 The Attorney General of California has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points…

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    Q&A

    Byadmin

    The Contra Costa Times ran an interview with UC president Napolitano that was published yesterday.  But apparently the interview occurred in late 2013.  Here are the questions:Q: One of your first proposals was to make tuition rates more predictable. What might that look like? Q: At the last UC regents meeting, Gov. Jerry Brown said UC had slim chances of securing additional state funding, with all of the competing needs in Sacramento. What did you make of that? Q: Were you surprised by the low graduation rates for some student-athletes at Cal? (UC Berkeley’s football team had the lowest graduation…

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    Follow Me, Says Crane

    Byadmin

    We have previously reported on a proposed ballot initiative on public pensions in California that, as written, would cover UC.  There appears to be money behind the campaign for this initiative.  Another indication of such money comes in the form of a letter by former UC Regent David Crane on CalSTRS.  Crane was appointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger but the appointment was not endorsed by the state senate and thus ended.  In any event, the letter from Crane addressed to Gov. Brown – which his website says in today’s Sacramento Bee – seems to be part of the larger campaign for…

  • What Did She Say?

    Byadmin

    An earlier post on this blog noted that UC President Janet Napolitano would be interviewed on “Meet the Press.”  It appeared from the advance description that she would be commenting (negatively) on a possible pardon for NSA leaker Edward Snowden.  In fact, the interview turned out to go beyond Snowden.  She was asked about her leading of the official US delegation to the Winter Olympics in Russia and security issues that were raised by a recent terrorist bombing there.  She was also asked about her former opposition to gay marriage as governor of Arizona.  (She now favors it.)  And she…

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    The First (and Only?) Budget Leak

    Byadmin

    Only a few days ago, we noted that it is traditional that as the date of the official unveiling of the governor’s budget proposal approaches, bits of it are leaked out.  We noted that as of that time, there hadn’t been any leaks, so maybe we would depart from tradition.  But now we have a leak.  The governor wants a ballot proposition mandating a rainy day fund.  From the LA Times: Gov. Jerry Brown will join the push for a new ballot measure to help California stockpile cash as a buffer against future recessions, according to two Capitol officials. The…

  • Don’t Beg Her Pardon

    Byadmin

    UC Prez Janet Napolitano still seems to be carrying out a role for her former employer, the Obama administration. [Is it time to cut the cord?] As an earlier post noted, she is representing the administration at the Winter Olympics in Russia.  See: http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2013/12/napolitanos-mission-to-russia.html Now, after the New York Times called for some kind of pardon or clemency for NSA leaker Edward Snowden – currently in exile in Moscow – she is commenting negatively on the Times‘ suggestion.  From The Hill: Former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday that she “would not put clemency on the table” for NSA…

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    UCLA History: Bunche

    Byadmin

    1966 photo of Bunche Hall by Ansel Adams Indoor-outdoor Bunche Hall tree courtyard; photo by yours truly Bunche at far left in 1927 at former Vermont Ave. campus of UCLA Bunche with then-Chancellor Charles Young at Bunche Hall dedication Given the Israel boycott issue (scroll down for earlier blog posts), here (top) is a photo of Bunche Hall made by Ansel Adams in 1966.  Ralph Bunche was a graduate of UCLA in 1927 at the old Vermont Avenue campus.  He became the chief UN mediator who secured the first Arab-Israeli armistice in 1949. Video shows Bunche shortly after 1949 armistice…

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    Block on Israel Boycott

    Byadmin

    As expected – see earlier posts – now that UCLA has reopened, Chancellor Block issued a statement on the Israel boycott issue: As one of the world’s leading public research universities, UCLA has a steadfast commitment to the principles of academic freedom and open dialogue. In their pursuit of knowledge, our faculty and students must be free to collaborate and communicate with scholars around the world. Institutions throughout the Middle East are no exception, providing a valuable and essential range of ideas and perspectives that should not be excluded. Limiting academic debate and research violates our principles of independent inquiry…

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    Upcoming Events in January

    Byadmin

    Under the state constitution, Governor Brown will release his budget proposal for 2014-15 at the end of next week.  In the past, bits and pieces were often leaked to the news media ahead of the formal announcement.  So far, that hasn’t happened – which might just mean that with the current budgetary calm, there is nothing shocking to leak, including about the UC budget.  There will also be a “state of the state” address to the legislature by the governor which will touch on whatever the governor has in mind – who knows? – in this election year. The UC…