News

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The New Pension & Retiree Health Care Plan to be Considered by the Regents Now on the Web

Byuclafaculty

The post-employment benefits plan (pension and retiree health care) proposed by President Yudof is now on the Regents’ website for consideration at the December 13 special meeting of the Regents. It is what was previously presented at the November meeting. As previous posts have noted, there will be a two-tier pension plan. It is unclear whether incumbent employees will have the option to switch to the new lower tier. An IRS approval would be needed for that option to be offered. The proposal is at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/dec10/j1.pdf I am not expecting a great deal of controversy among the Regents on this…

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The Future Lies Ahead: Final UCOF Report

Byuclafaculty

Press release from UCOP issued yesterday at:http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/24629 UC Commission on the Future (UCOF) final report released Date: 2010-12-06 The final report of the University of California Commission on the Future, convened last year to map out strategies to preserve excellence and access through the state fiscal crisis and beyond, was unveiled today (Monday, Dec. 6). The 20 recommendations endorsed by the commission address five broad categories: teaching and curriculum, undergraduate enrollment and access, research and graduate education, fiscal discipline and administrative reform, and public education and advocacy. The commission also cited contingency actions that, if the fiscal situation worsens, might…

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Interesting Profile of a UC-Berkeley Professor Said to be a YouTube Sensation

Byuclafaculty

The San Francisco Chronicle published the story below on Sunday. But the Chronicle keeps certain stories for subscribers only for a couple of days. So here are some excerpts. By way of background, UC-Berkeley puts lectures on YouTube for some classes. The story refers to such a class. One YouTube lecture is embedded below the story excerpts. Marian Diamond – Anatomy Professor a YouTube Hit Debra Levi Holtz, Sunday, December 5, 2010 Each fall, Marian Diamond walks into UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Auditorium holding a round hatbox, a gift from the staff of Lawrence Hall of Science, where she used to…

Special Budget Session Called by Governor Has No Cuts for UC

Byuclafaculty

In a sense, this is a non-story. Governor Schwarzenegger – as a lame duck with a month in office to go – has called a special session of the legislature to deal with the state budget. No one expects the legislature to do anything until Governor-Elect Brown takes office. Nonetheless, the current governor has proposed various budget solutions for the current year and next year which he totals at about $10 billion. There are some miscellaneous things such as putting advertising on freeway traffic signs. Much of what gets cut in the proposals is in the social service area, broadly…

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How High Can the Employee Contribution Climb in UCRP? A Message from Dwight Read

Byuclafaculty

How High Can the Employee Contribution Climb in UCRP? Dwight Read, Chair, UCLA Faculty Association Now it is 2% of salary, next year, 3.5%, then 5%. But what will it be in 2017? …24%? In a special meeting scheduled for Dec. 13, the Regents will decide whether to introduce a New Pension Tier at UC for all new hires as of July 1, 2013. At the November Regents’ meetings, President Yudof presented a proposal for the New Tier that set the annual cost of the plan at 15.1% of retirement covered compensation with contribution rates at 8.1% for employers and…

Not Entirely Pretty Portrait of Fraternity Life at Berkeley in Late 19th/Early 20th Century

Byuclafaculty

Zeta Psi’s history at UC Berkeley unearthed (excerpt) Debra Levi Holtz, San Francisco Chronicle December 6, 2010 Like present-day members, the boys in University of California’s oldest fraternity played poker, drank beer and pulled campus pranks during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But the brothers of the prestigious Zeta Psi fraternity also dressed impeccably, had live-in servants and preferred hanging out with each other to dating women… The early alumni of the 140-year-old Iota chapter of Zeta Psi at UC Berkeley went on to become politicians, professors and bankers. The roster includes former California Gov. James Budd and…

Textbook Costs: Take the Money and Run?

Byuclafaculty

The Sacramento Bee carries an interesting article today about textbook costs and alternatives, including the “open-source” model. My sense is that textbook publishers nowadays see that technology will eventually overtake them and are operating in a take-the-money-and-run mode while they can. Internet, Cost Spur Textbook Revolt Dec. 6, 2010, Sacramento Bee, Laurel Rosenhall When Elizabeth Walz ran for student government last year, she built her campaign around an issue she knew would resonate with her peers at UC Davis: the cost of textbooks. For days, she stood in the quad polling students on their textbook-buying habits. “A lot of the…

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Yee of Little Faith (In UC & CSU Foundations)

Byuclafaculty

The latest from State Senator Leland Yee, the only state senator who puts Ph.D. at the top of his official webpage. From Capitol Alert, 12/3/10 Senator to revive his higher ed foundation “transparency” bill (excerpt) It ended up twice vetoed. But it was a bill that gained traction after students demanded to know how much Sarah Palin was paid to speak at a California State University campus fundraiser this year. Today Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, announced that when the state Senate reconvenes Monday he plans to re-introduce a bill that would force more disclosure of information from private foundations…

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Regents Agenda for December 13 Special Session is Now Posted

Byuclafaculty

The Regents have long scheduled a special session to deal with post-retirement benefits but it did not appear on their website until yesterday. You can find the posting at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/dec10.html No new materials are attached to the posting for December. So presumably, what will be discussed is what was distributed at the regular November meeting. You can find that material at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/nov10.html Apparently, some discussion will occur on the report of the Committee on the Future (UCOF), at least during the beginning of the meeting. I don’t expect any fireworks from the Regents at this meeting, but in the photo…