News

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Don’t twist their arms

Byuclafaculty

Our previous post noted that donors do not inherently insist on capital projects.  In fact, UCLA just got $20 million, it was announced yesterday, for environmental teaching and research: http://centurycity.patch.com/groups/schools/p/hyatt-hotel-heirs-donate-20m-to-ucla   Some dutiful blog readers will recall that over a year ago we posted an interview with Mark Yudof in which he insisted that UC puts donor money into buildings only when the donors absolutely insist on it – which is not at all the history of the UCLA Grand Hotel.  You can find the audio of the interview at: http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/07/ucla-hotel-did-not-happen-that-way.html The fact is that donors have interests beyond bricks…

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Aint that a shame?

Byuclafaculty

It was another slow day at the worksite of the UCLA Grand Hotel yesterday.  The photo above was taken around 10:30 am.  Apparently, there was more action in the courtroom.  According to a media release put out by UCLA, a court decision removed the donors from one of the two lawsuits against the Grand Hotel.  (One lawsuit says the environmental review wasn’t done properly; the other says the hotel will have to pay taxes.)  You can find the media release at: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/donors-ucla-foundation-removed-248713.aspx The Daily Bruin version, based on the release, is at:http://dailybruin.com/2013/10/02/luskins-ucla-foundation-dismissed-as-defendants-in-case/ According to the media release, it was “shameful”…

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On Demand

Byuclafaculty

We noted yesterday in a posting on former UC president Mark Yudof’s ruminations upon leaving office that his successor, Janet Napolitano, was possibly going to experience a vote of no-confidence from a student group at UCLA on her second day in office.  As it turned out, that didn’t quite happen.  Instead, various “demands” were enacted.  From the Daily Bruin: The undergraduate student government unanimously passed a resolution calling for University of California President Janet Napolitano to comply with a list of demands compiled by students from multiple UC campuses. The resolution passed after members of the Undergraduate Students Association Council…

Not the Only Way

Byuclafaculty

Not the only blog & not the only way The simple way to read this blog is to do what you are doing now and click on it.  If you do it daily, you won’t miss anything.  (Or, if you do miss, you can always go back in time in it.)  But at the end of each quarter, we have been offering an alternative mode of reading.  If you click on the link below, you can read it like a book for the period July through September 2013.  However, you will find differences in the format and – most important…

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Garden Therapy

Byuclafaculty

Blog readers will know that UCLA tried to sell the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden and has been blocked so far by litigation since the original agreement specified the university would maintain the garden “in perpetuity.” This blog has urged UCLA to sit down with the family and others who have an interest and work out a deal that would conserve the garden even if it is sold.  Basically, the reason the sale has been blocked to this point is that the university’s attempt to sell it failed the sniff test.  If you haven’t followed the issue, type in “Japanese garden”…

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Underappreciated?

Byuclafaculty

In an interview with the Daily Californian, former UC president Mark Yudof seems to feel underappreciated: For the first time in five years, Mark Yudof will wake up Monday a free man. No longer will the outgoing UC president have to deal with angry accusations of screwing over students or unfairly bargaining with unions or ignoring the cries of protesters… The son of an electrician, Yudof completed his undergraduate education in just three years at the University of Pennsylvania and worked part time to pay for school, something he said has helped him better relate to the average worker.  Many…

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Orchestration of Public Pension Issue? Issue for UC?

Byuclafaculty

In a prior post, we noted that there appeared to be a campaign underway by various groups to put a public pension initiative on the California ballot.  We noted that there have been such efforts in the past, but the money needed to mount an effective campaign wasn’t forthcoming.  Now, there may be such money.  The problem for UC is that we tend to be swept into such initiatives despite the fact that the Regents adopted their own pension plan changes back in 2010. This time around, there seems to be some coordination and orchestration of the campaign, e.g.: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/30/5782679/capitol-alert-cal-tax-estimates.html…

UC-Berkeley Explosion Linked to Electrical Copper Theft

Byuclafaculty

The UC-Berkeley student newspaper carries a story about last evenings explosion and fires on campus that led to an evacuation of the campus. An explosion on the UC Berkeley campus near California Hall injured several people, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency and order an evacuation of the campus about 6:40 p.m. Monday evening. Three people were treated on scene for injuries, and one was transported to a hospital with minor burn injuries, according to campus spokesperson Dan Mogulof. At least 20 people were stuck in elevators as a result of an earlier power outage but were freed…

Official Federal Shutdown Listings

Byuclafaculty

Yesterday’s post noted the possibility of a federal govt. shutdown today and possible implications for higher ed. An official listing of services operating and not operating can be found at http://www.usa.gov/shutdown.shtml Varying degrees of information can be found by going to the websites of federal agencies.  For example, the plan for limited operation of the U.S. Dept. of Education is at http://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.doc Just a reminder that these things don’t always end happily:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hZ9jKrwvo?feature=player_detailpage]

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No Government Tomorrow?

Byuclafaculty

According to Inside Higher Ed today, a government shutdown – if it happens tomorrow – won’t much affect major student aid programs such as Pell grants but will cut off research funding.  Some smaller student aid programs may be affected, however. More details and links can be found at:http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/30/shutdown-looming-outlook-colleges