CSU

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Sacramento Bee Article Predicts a Not-So-Cheery Budget Outlook for Higher Ed

Byuclafaculty

A Christmas present from the UCLA Faculty Association blog. Scroll down to the large print. What budget cuts, taxes and gimmicks might Jerry Brown propose? (excerpts) Dec. 25, 2010, Sacramento Bee, Kevin Yamamura Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued grim budgets the last two years, but in many ways he had it easier than the challenge facing Gov.-elect Jerry Brown in 2011. In proposing ways to close the budget gap, Schwarzenegger relied on ideas few expected to come to pass, like eliminating CalWORKs and getting $7 billion from the federal government. But Brown has already assailed budget gimmicks, such as counting on…

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Yee of Little Faith (In UC & CSU Foundations)

Byuclafaculty

The latest from State Senator Leland Yee, the only state senator who puts Ph.D. at the top of his official webpage. From Capitol Alert, 12/3/10 Senator to revive his higher ed foundation “transparency” bill (excerpt) It ended up twice vetoed. But it was a bill that gained traction after students demanded to know how much Sarah Palin was paid to speak at a California State University campus fundraiser this year. Today Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, announced that when the state Senate reconvenes Monday he plans to re-introduce a bill that would force more disclosure of information from private foundations…

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Undecided: The News Media Seem Uncertain About the Impact of Tuition Hikes

Byuclafaculty

The media seem to be undecided as to how to play the impact of recent tuition hikes. They don’t affect enrollment or they do affect enrollment. Below are two examples from today’s news items: Enrollment numbers steady despite tuition hikes Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin11/25/2010 Early enrollment numbers seem immune to recent tuition hikes at California’s public universities. The California State University system received more than 360,000 applications ahead of Tuesday’s enrollment deadline for next fall, CSU spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp said.The preliminary figures are inching closer to the 391,000 applications received by the CSU system for the 2009-10…

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LA Times/USC Poll on State Budget

Byuclafaculty

The LA Times/USC poll reproduces, once again, the general public inconsistency about what to do about the state budget. Here (below) is a simplified version of the poll. The first figure is percentage support by program for not cutting spending or for increasing spending. The second figure represents percentage support for cutting spending a little or a lot. (Figures don’t add to 100% due to those answering “don’t know” or refusing.) K-12: 71% vs. 26% Health care for kids & low/moderate income families: 56% vs. 36% UC & CSU: 59% vs. 36% Transport, road, rail: 47% vs. 48% Prisons: 20%…

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New PPIC Poll on Public Higher Ed

Byuclafaculty

A new poll on public higher ed is out from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). In broad terms, Californians are evenly split on whether taxes should be raised to support higher ed. But they oppose tuition increases. They are more likely to say that not enough is being spent on higher ed than to support raising taxes. PPIC summarizes the findings as follows: About three-fourths of Californians say state funding for public higher education is inadequate. Most Californians favor more money for higher education even at the expense of other state programs. Almost 60 percent of all parents…

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CSU Does Two-Step on Tuition

Byuclafaculty

At least UC is not dancing alone on raising tuition. Excerpt from the Sacramento Bee: A panel of the California State University board of trustees voted Tuesday to raise tuition in two steps over the next year for a total increase of 15.5 percent. If the plan is approved by the full board of trustees today, tuition will go up 5 percent in the spring semester and 10 percent next fall. That would bring annual tuition for a full-time undergraduate to $4,884 in the fall. That does not include fees charged by individual campuses that are typically around $950. And…

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What Jerry Promised

Byuclafaculty

California Watch has a summary of Jerry Brown’s “promises” concerning higher ed (and looks at the prospect for higher tuition). Below are the promises listed as summarized in the article: Jerry Brown’s higher education promises: Convene a “representative group” to create a new higher education Master Plan: “This situation calls for a major overhaul of many components of the postsecondary system. We need to convene a representative group to create a new state Master Plan.” Create an online “extended university” program: “The introduction of online learning and the use of new technologies should be explored to the fullest, as well…

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Take a Hike (in tuition) at CSU – and Eventually at UC

Byuclafaculty

CSU considers spring fee hike (excerpt) Capitol Alert, October 29, 2010, Laurel Rosenhall California State University trustees will vote on a mid-year fee increase on Nov. 9 that would raise tuition by 5 percent for the spring term. If the action is approved, tuition for a semester at a CSU campus would rise to $2,220, not including fees that specific campuses charge or books, housing and living expenses. The proposal is not unexpected. When CSU trustees voted in June to raise fees for the current semester they said they would consider another fee increase after a state budget was approved….

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Brown and Whitman on Higher Ed

Byuclafaculty

Excerpt from California Watch: …Whitman and Brown agree that higher education needs more money. Whitman says she would get $1 billion from cuts to welfare and other reforms and would look to college officials on how to best spend those funds. Brown says he’d shift spending from prisons. Brown also proposes a new Master Plan, the long-ignored 1960 document that defined the roles of the UC, CSU and community college systems and promised a tuition-free education for all Californians. He would emphasize online classes to expand access to education, he says, and would ease the transfer process from community colleges…

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Red Balloon

Byuclafaculty

I came across something called the “Red Balloon Project” sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). No UCs belong to this group, although some CSUs do. Exactly what it entails is not clear – I suspect there is a fair amount of impetus for online education, etc., involved. From the AASCU website (excerpts): http://www.aascu.org/programs/redballoon/index.htm The Red Balloon Project is a national initiative to re-imagine and then to redesign undergraduate education for the 21st century. Public colleges and universities are facing a complex set of challenges: transformational changes in technology, reductions in funding, shifting student demographics, growth…