News

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Quick! Somebody Tell the Governor!

Byuclafaculty

From the Chronicle of Higher Education: Professor Leaves a MOOC in Mid-Course in Dispute Over Teaching Students regularly drop out of massive open online courses before they come to term. For a professor to drop out is less common. But that is what happened on Saturday in “Microeconomics for Managers,” a MOOC offered by the University of California at Irvine through Coursera. Richard A. McKenzie, an emeritus professor of enterprise and society at the university’s business school, sent a note to his students announcing that he would no longer be teaching the course, which was about to enter its fifth week. “Because…

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A Different Kind of Grade Inflation

Byuclafaculty

From the Orange County Register: When Jose Carrillo went through medical school at Dartmouth College a decade ago, students would have thick books weighing down their white coats with reference information in case they needed it while making rounds… Today, Carrillo is helping third-year medical students understand neurology at UCI Medical Center in Orange… (L)oaded on the iPads in the pockets of the medical students’ coats is every textbook, note, flash card and question from their first two years of medical school – so much information that its equal in printed copies once covered entire tables. All that information sits on…

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Not All Presidents Are Celebrating Today

Byuclafaculty

Emory President James Wagner President Yudof may be celebrating his impending liberation (in August).  According to Inside Higher Ed, however, Emory University President James Wagner may not be celebrating this Presidents’ Day: Emory University President James Wagner has infuriated many on his campus and scholars elsewhere by using the president’s letter in the new issue of Emory Magazine to say that the “three-fifths compromise” of the U.S. Constitution was a model for how people who disagree can work together for “a common goal.” Following an explosion of social media criticism Saturday as word of Wagner’s letter spread, he released an…

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Why the Lt. Governor Favors Online Higher Ed at the Regents (Maybe)

Byuclafaculty

Lt. Governor Newsom appeared on The Colbert Report on Feb. 14 to promote a book that seems to have something to do with online government participation: C The Colbert Report Update from Sacramento Bee Capitol Alert blog: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was describing his new book, “Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government,” on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” on Thursday when the host, Stephen Colbert, asked him, ‘What the (bleep) does any of that mean?” Newsom had been talking about the “broadcast model of governing” and about how “big is getting small and small is…

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Traffic, Traffic

Byuclafaculty

Motorists, be forewarned: the northbound 405 Freeway will be a great place to avoid the first weekend in March. Three northbound lanes on the freeway will be closing for 55 straight hours between Montana Avenue and Getty Center Drive. In addition, the Getty Center Drive and Moraga Drive northbound on-ramps will be closed, as will the northbound Montana and Moraga off-ramps. Despite the length of the closure, this is no “mini Carmageddon”—although officials stress that drivers should plan alternate routes through the area to avoid major backups. “We are concerned with daytime traffic,” said Kasey Shuda, construction relations manager for…

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UCLA Gets Commuter Award

Byuclafaculty

Best Workplaces for CommutersSM, a program designed to encourage sustainable transportation innovation singled out 23 employers nationwide Thursday, January 31 during the annual “Race to Excellence”  Virtual Awards Ceremony.  The awards recognize organizations who have taken exemplary steps to offer transportation options such as vanpool and transit benefits or telework and compressed workweek for their employees.  “The annual Race to Excellence provides national recognition for employers who offer high level commuter benefits,” said Julie Bond, NCTR’s national program manager for Best Workplaces for Commuters. “Offering commuter benefits is a win-win situation for employees who change their commuting habits to save…

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More on Oil Severance Tax for Higher Ed Bill

Byuclafaculty

An earlier post on this blog noted an announcement of a bill in the legislature that would impose an oil severance tax dedicated to the three segments of higher ed.  It was noted on that post that the actual text of the bill was not available at that time.  Now the bill is available.  As it turns out, some of the funding (7%) goes to the Dept. of Parks and Recreation.  At present, that department is mired in a scandal about hidden funds. If you are unfamiliar with that scandal, you can start with http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/15/5192590/california-state-parks-had-hidden.html and then Google your way…

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No Smoking at UCLA Coming Soon

Byuclafaculty

Despite the seeming Valentines’ Day romance of cigarettes (as of 1927) depicted here, UCLA is going smoke free on Earth Day, according to a reminder email circulating today.  The policy was announced last fall: When the policy takes effect on Earth Day (April 22), the use of cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and all other tobacco products, as well as electronic cigarettes, will not be permitted on campus and at sites owned or leased by the University. South campus (the medical complex) has already implemented the ban. For some smokers, UCLA may be asking for the Moon:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-KGiwGn1d8?feature=player_detailpage]

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UCLA History: Engagement

Byuclafaculty

Apparently, there was a pre-baby boomer tradition of a ceremony at UCLA for undergraduate women to announce their engagements, as this 1955 photo illustrates.  It didn’t occur on Valentines’ Day (the photo was taken in May), but Valentines’ Day is an appropriate day to show the picture.  At least back then, things would be just wonderful thereafter: