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Powers-That-Be at UCLA Still Positive About Anderson Self-Sufficiency Plan

Byuclafaculty

The letter below from EVC Scott Waugh suggests that he and Chancellor Block (cc’d on the letter) remain positive about the Anderson School’s financial self-sufficiency plan, despite the negative Academic Senate reaction. As earlier posts have noted, some critics are concerned about setting a precedent for privatization – although the actual plan falls short of privatization. Others saw budgetary risk to UCLA. See the bold text in the letter (boldface added by yours truly) for the supportive comments by Waugh. On the other hand, additional review is indicated in the letter and how long that process might take is not…

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Mystery Resolved: Special Regents Meeting Dec. 13

Byuclafaculty

There are mysteries out there that are reported to be solved. And if you read the earlier post on the mystery of the missing December Regents meeting, I can now report that the mystery has been resolved. To recap: The Regents in November received the Yudof plan for modifying post-employment benefits (pensions, retiree health care). However, the November meeting was an information session regarding those benefits – no decision was made. The decision date was set for a special December meeting which was not listed on the UCOP/Regents website. According to the email below, that session is set for December…

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Inquiring Minds Wonder About the December Regents Meeting: What’s the Mystery?

Byuclafaculty

A special Regents session to deal with President Yudof’s recommendations on revising UC retirement benefits has been scheduled for December. That there will be such a session has been known for a long time. However, the December schedule (or any reference at all to the December meeting), mysteriously does not appear on the Regents official website, which (at this writing) continues to list the mid-November session as the last 2010 meeting. As earlier posts document, the mid-November meeting was when the retirement proposals were outlined – but not decided. December is to be the decision date. Since the special December…

This Couldn’t Be Happening at UCLA, Could It?

Byuclafaculty

During boring classes, texting is the new doodling By Michael Rubinkam, AP, LA Daily News 11/26/2010 Tom Markley, 21, of Lehighton, Pa., a senior at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., poses with his phone in a Wilkes classroom. A recent survey by two Wilkes psychology professors found that more than 90 percent of students at the university admit to sending text messages during class. …It’s no surprise that high school and college students are obsessive texters. What alarms Wilkes psychology professors Deborah Tindell and Robert Bohlander is how rampant the practice has become during class: Their recent study shows that…

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Undecided: The News Media Seem Uncertain About the Impact of Tuition Hikes

Byuclafaculty

The media seem to be undecided as to how to play the impact of recent tuition hikes. They don’t affect enrollment or they do affect enrollment. Below are two examples from today’s news items: Enrollment numbers steady despite tuition hikes Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin11/25/2010 Early enrollment numbers seem immune to recent tuition hikes at California’s public universities. The California State University system received more than 360,000 applications ahead of Tuesday’s enrollment deadline for next fall, CSU spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp said.The preliminary figures are inching closer to the 391,000 applications received by the CSU system for the 2009-10…

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California (and UC) Then and Now

Byuclafaculty

The image above – which is not very clear – comes from today’s Sacramento Bee. So go to http://www.sacbee.com/2010/11/25/3211006_a3210969/california-browns-heyday-vs-today.html for a sharper view. When you do, note in particular the data on UC enrollment. Of course, things were not just different for Jerry Brown in the 1970s:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCH3w_LnmHE&fs=1&hl=en_US]