News

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    California Supreme Court Hands Down the Law: State Furloughs & 2009 Line-Item Vetoes Upheld

    Byadmin

    Like Moses, the California Supreme Court has just handed down the law. And it says that the governor’s furloughs and line-item vetoes of 2009 were valid. As noted in prior posts, UC furloughs were imposed by the Regents, not the governor, and were not an issue in the cases that wound up at the state Supreme Court. However, had the Court ruled against the governor, it would have possibly raised a back pay liability for affected state workers. If state workers received back pay, there would be pressure on UC to do the same. That now will not happen. The…

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    No Bananas: Rationing of Community College Courses

    Byadmin

    UC and UCLA have boasted of the degree to which their undergrads are transfer students from community colleges. Such transfers reduce tuition costs to students and increase undergrad capacity at UC. However, due to budget cuts, community colleges are effectively rationing entry – not to their campuses, but to courses needed to transfer. See the LA Times article below: Community college class wait lists throw a wrench into students’ plans: Enrollment in California’s colleges has surged, but budget cuts leave many students unable to get the courses they need, meaning it’ll take them longer to earn a degree and join…

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    More on Chez UC

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    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

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    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

    Byadmin

    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

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    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

    Byadmin

    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

    Byadmin

    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

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    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

    Byadmin

    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