News

A Bit of UCLA History from the 1964 Commencement

Byuclafaculty

The official Los Angeles Times caption on this June 12, 1964 photo in the UCLA Digital Collection is “SHAH RECEIVES DEGREE – Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the shah of Iran, center, stands with Dr. Clark Kerr, left, president of UC and Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy after being presented an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.” Actually, the event was more tumultuous than the caption suggests. In an earlier post, I noted that Jim Klain gave a talk about the history of Royce Hall on August 11. Klain was in charge of campus events, not just Royce Hall. In response to…

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UC-Merced Med School: UC Budget Problems Not a Concern?

Byuclafaculty

Richard III might have trouble getting a horse at UC-Davis thanks to UC budget woes – see the previous post. But if he fell off one at UC-Merced, he could get his injuries cared for at the new med school if grand plans continue to go forward. From the Merced Sun-Star: Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 Lawmakers support UC Merced med school Assembly members recognize need for doctors in Central Valley. By JAMIE OPPENHEIM SACRAMENTO — Members of the Valley Coalition for UC Merced Medical School and other UC Merced officials made the case for the need for a medical school…

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Richard III Might Be Out of Luck at UC-Davis Thanks to Budget Cuts

Byuclafaculty

From the Sacramento Bee: A few horses munched quietly on feed Wednesday morning in a dusty pasture tucked away on the University of California, Davis, campus. It was likely one of their last meals at the university’s Equestrian Center before they’re shipped to new homes as the center deals with heavy cuts to its funding. “These pastures used to be full,” said Julie Smith, the center’s assistant director. “And now these are the stragglers that are left.” Loss of funding to UC Davis’ department of campus recreation has meant cuts to the Equestrian Center, which opened in 1962 and has…

But Professor, I Need an A for My Bet er I Mean My Scholarship

Byuclafaculty

New Site Lets Students Gamble on Their Grades KTLA News 10:51 PM PDT, August 11, 2010 LOS ANGELES — A new website is giving higher education a Vegas twist, allowing college students nationwide to bet on their own grades. The site, Ultrinsic.com, lets students bet on whether they can achieve or exceed a certain grade, with bets starting at $25. The student puts up some of the money, and the company fronts the rest — more for A’s, slightly less for B’s, and so on. The amount is also moderated by other information like the student’s past academic record and…

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Out-of-State Recruiting of Dissatisfied California Students

Byuclafaculty

Inside Higher Ed today has an article about a New York State college recruiting California students at community colleges due to limited course offering here. Does this matter for UC? UC is pushing the idea of more transfer students from community colleges. And the legislature is anxious to see more transfers. The ad on the left appeared in 60 community college newspapers. Full story at: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/08/12/cobleskill

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Cash Balance Pension? New Ham & Eggs for UC?

Byuclafaculty

There are folks out there who are convinced they have the solution for public pension plans in California and maybe the universe. They are pushing something called cash balance (CB) plans. These are in contrast to defined benefit (DB) plans, such as the UC basic pension, and defined contribution (DC) plans (which UC had until recently as a supplement). So let’s start with definitions. A DC plan means the employer puts in a particular contribution, say, a percent of pay each period. (There may be employee contributions, too, also defined. The UC version of DC had only employee contributions.) The…

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DNA for Berkeley Freshmen: Top Legislative Priority?

Byuclafaculty

Below is an excerpt from a Sacramento Bee article describing a legislative hearing over a UC-Berkeley freshmen orientation program which involved voluntary DNA testing. The full story is at http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/11/v-print/2950513/uc-berkeley-professors-defend.html “Two UC Berkeley professors Tuesday defended a controversial plan to perform genetic testing on incoming freshmen during a legislative hearing that also featured testimony from privacy experts and bioethicists blasting the plan. Lawmakers asked questions about the Bring Your Genes to Cal project, but ultimately have no authority over the University of California. Whether the project moves forward likely depends on the outcome of a meeting today between UC Berkeley…

Sacramento on $1000 a Day

Byuclafaculty

Ever wonder why UC doesn’t have more influence in Sacramento. California’s Capitol, a website devoted to goings on in Sacramento, recently posted the memo excerpted below from the California Restaurant Association which suggests the gastronomic link to having such influence. —-MEMBER BULLETIN From: California Restaurant Association To: Central Valley, Fresno, Los Angeles, North State, Orange County and San Diego County chapters These have been hard times for restaurant owners. Even though California’s more than 61,000 restaurants employ more than 1 million people, the current economic slump has hurt business and caused closures throughout the state, particularly those areas hardest hit…

Why No State IOUs? There Is Cash On Hand

Byuclafaculty

You may be wondering why last summer at this time the state was issuing IOUs and this summer it isn’t – despite a budget crisis. Note first that last summer a budget was in place. One had been enacted in February 2009 and, despite voter rejection of various budget-related propositions in May 2009, there was authorization to spend. This time we have no budget so some payments are not being made – which saves cash. The state controller has just issued his report for July 2010. The state has on hand roughly $6 billion in “unused borrowable resources” compared to…