News

  • 3/18/17: Trump Budget Undermines Education & Public Good

    Byteplow

    A letter from the AAUP national office: President Trump released an initial budget proposal Thursday containing deep cuts that would severely damage scientific research, the arts and humanities, and access to higher education. The budget proposal includes a cut of nearly 20 percent to National Institutes of Health funding and deep cuts to research programs at the Department of Energy, Department of Education, and other government agencies. It decimates funding for climate change research and programs within the Environmental Protection Agency and completely eliminates the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The repercussions of…

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    Chris Newfield @ UCLA, Feb. 22

    Byhigbie

    Public Universities under Trump Lessons from the Era of Privatization Wednesday, February 22, 3:30-5 PM 6275 Bunche Hall, UCLA Free and open to the public. Location Information Privatization, student debt, and over-building have led public universities to the brink of disaster. So argues UCSB professor Christopher Newfield in his new book. Only by embracing their

  • 2/7/17: Fight against nationwide threats to academia

    Byteplow

    From efforts to eliminate tenure to the online intimidation of faculty, higher education is under attack across the country. The AAUP’s work to confront these challenges and to strengthen the core values of higher education have never been more vital. Tenure, which is integral to academic freedom, has been the most recent target of concerted, state-level attacks. In Iowa, a bill would eliminate tenure at public institutions, even for faculty who already have it. A Missouri bill would end tenure for all new hires by 2018. In North Dakota, the state university system is considering a significant reduction in the…

  • 1/30/17: Stand against the immigration ban-Make your voice heard

    Byteplow

    This morning, AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum sent the attached email to members asking them to affix their names to a document condemning the immigration actions of President Trump and affirming that America’s universities will not be compromised by the unconstitutional and discriminatory ban on entry into the United States for people from certain Muslim-majority countries. I urge you to join this action. Just click Stand Against the Ban to be taken to the sign up page. We must unite to fight for academia!

  • 1/26/17: Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos unsuited for job

    Byteplow

    The nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education raises alarms that the new administration will fail to support college access and affordability for millions of current and future college students. Her nomination signals a blatant disregard for not only the magnitude of college debt plaguing our students but also the widespread fraud that has been exposed in the for-profit sector across the country. It also reveals an irresponsible resistance to protecting students from sexual assault, gun violence, ensuring the rights of immigrants, and students with disabilities. Equally troubling, at her confirmation hearing and in the disclosure of her extensive…

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    Report: Affordable Public Higher Education is Possible Today

    Byuclafaculty

    A report this week from Reclaim California Higher Education (a coalition of faculty and student groups) makes the case that affordable (even free) higher education is within reach for California. The privatization experiment has failed. The harm to a generation of hard-working, high-aiming young people is proven. It’s time to return to what works: the proven Master Plan for higher education in California. California, with its own resources, can afford to restore top-quality, accessible, affordable college and university opportunity to every qualified student. In fact, Californians can afford nothing less. You can read a summary and download the entire report…

  • As transition looms, campus stirs

    Byhigbie

    What is the future of public higher education under a Trump administration? With the transition of presidential power a week away, students, staff, faculty, and administrators on campuses across California are bracing for a rocky relationship. Here at UCLA there are a number of teach-ins, demonstrations, and programs planned for inauguration week. The big one is a campus-wide Teach-In on January 18th, from 5-7 PM in the Ackerman Union ballrooms. You can see a list of various activities here. Meanwhile, California policymakers are displaying an unusual show of unity in their opposition to the incoming administration and its likely policies…

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    CUCFA Letter to Pres. Napolitano

    Byhigbie

    The Council of UC Faculty Associations (CUCFA) set a letter to UC President Janet Napolitano on November 23 applauding her statements after the US presidential election, and outlining concrete steps UC leadership should take to protect vulnerable students and staff. In short, we stand united with our administrators against any threats directed at our students and fellow employees, or any words or acts of hate that threaten our mission as a public research university committed to the betterment of our global society through teaching, learning, and the dissemination of new knowledge. We pledge to stand up for, support, and defend…

  • Faculty Respond to Trump Election

    Byhigbie

    UCLA faculty are circulating a letter to the campus community in the wake of Donald Trump’s election, and asking colleagues to sign on in support. The letter condemns “acts of hate and bigotry directed at our students and fellow employees.” Here is the full text: Dear UCLA Students and Employees, We, the undersigned, are UCLA faculty who stand united against acts of hate and bigotry directed at our students and fellow employees in the wake of the election of Donald Trump. Words and acts of hate are forms of violence that threaten our mission as a public research university committed…