Master Plan

| |

Faculty Coalition at Work in Sacramento

Byhigbie

As the budget battle grinds on in the state capital, the Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA) has been advocating on behalf of system faculty. In February, CUCFA weighed in on a proposal to alter UC governance. In a letter to legislators from Joe Kiskis (UC Davis), CUCFA noted While some actions of the Regents and the UC administration generate criticism with which we concur, we do not believe that the UC governance structure itself is fundamentally flawed. The University’s long term goals of access, affordability, and excellence are well served by an independent, diverse Board of Regents…

| |

Jerry Brown Suggests Master Plan is Dated

Byuclafaculty

Our previous post covered the Jan. 22 meeting of the Regents’ Committee on Educational Policy.  As noted, there was discussion of the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education, considered a major accomplishment of Brown’s father when he was governor. Below is a link to Brown’s comments in which he suggested the Plan was now dated.  [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RmjI4gVync?feature=player_detailpage]

| | | | | | |

Listen to Part of the Regents Afternoon Session of 1-22-2014

Byuclafaculty

As we have noted in numerous prior posts, the Regents refuse to archive their meetings beyond one year.  So we dutifully record the sessions in real time.  Below is a link to part of the afternoon session of Jan. 22.  This segment is mainly the Committee on Educational Policy.  Gov. Brown was in attendance.  We will separately (later) provide links just to certain Brown segments.  But for now, we provide a continuous recording. There was discussion of designating certain areas of UC-Merced as nature reserves, followed by discussion of a new telescope.  The discussion then turned to online ed and…

| | | | | |

The Resurrection?

Byuclafaculty

[More in our Regents coverage.  See earlier posts.]  The Regents spent some time on the old Master Plan for Higher Ed.  There was discussion, according to news reports, among representatives of UC, CSU, and the community colleges on better coordination. …“This report shines an important light on the need to have a central body whose sole focus is guiding the Legislature, governor and our three higher education segments as we plan and build for the future,” (Assembly speaker John Pérez) said. Full story at http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-college-reports-20140123,0,5215408.story Um, does no one remember  CPEC, which still exists in ghostly form as a website…

| | |

Four!

Byuclafaculty

In contrast to the silence the greeted the Little Hoover report on higher ed (see the previous post on this blog), a possible effort pushing for California community colleges to become four-year institutions got some attention. From the LA Times: California’s community college system is considering a controversial effort to offer four-year degrees, a move designed to boost the number of students who graduate and are more prepared for the workforce. The change would require legislation authorizing junior colleges to grant baccalaureate degrees. Colleges would also need to seek additional accreditation as baccalaureate-granting institutions. Supporters argue that it would help…

| | |

Little Hoover’s Report

Byuclafaculty

Little (Herbert) Hoover The state’s Little Hoover Commission issued a report yesterday on public higher ed in California.  Although the Sacramento Bee mentioned on Monday that such a report would come out on Tuesday, I could find no reference to it in today’s Bee.  I looked on the LA Times and San Francisco Chronicle websites.  (In all three, after seeing no articles, I searched their websites using such terms as “Little Hoover” without finding anything.)  It’s a philosophical question whether a tree falling in a forest makes a noise if no one hears it.  It’s less philosophical in this case.  Maybe,…

|

Just Four Years? How about Eight?

Byuclafaculty

Everyone wants more years! From Inside Higher Ed today comes this story about changing the Master Plan: Community colleges in a growing number of states are offering bachelor’s degrees. Now California and its huge two-year system may join that group. A committee created by Brice Harris, the system’s chancellor, quietly began meeting last month to mull whether the state’s 112 community colleges should be granted the authority to offer four-year degrees… Full story at http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/27/two-year-colleges-california-mull-bachelors-degrees Four? Eight? Just more: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RosYCAUN2TA?feature=player_detailpage]

| | | | |

Boulware at the Regents?

Byuclafaculty

Lemuel Ricketts Boulware Today is May Day – often viewed as a labor holiday.  That happenstance brings to mind the role the governor has been playing as an ex officio regent. Governor Brown likes to show his scope of knowledge through quotations, Latin phrases, and historical references.  Earlier this year, when asked about his collective bargaining policy with state unions, he referred to “Boulwarism” as something that he wouldn’t want to do. So what is Boulwarism?  Lemuel Ricketts Boulware was General Electric’s chief bargainer with its unions in the 1950s and early 1960s.  He developed a take-it-or-leave-it style of negotiating,…

| |

NASBO

Byuclafaculty

Are you against efficiency?  Of course not!  Do you think goals should be achieved? Of course you do! Do you think higher ed could be improved if it became more efficient and achieved its goals? So far, you totally agree. The National Assn. of State Budget Officers (NASBO) has issued a report on public higher ed, a system which nationally, as well as in California, is under budgetary strain. I don’t know for sure how much circulation the report got pre-publication. I suspect, however, it reflects the general scuttlebutt among budgetary types that evolved in the aftermath of the Great…

| | | | | |

Grading the LAO Report on Higher Ed

Byuclafaculty

We summarized the Legislative Analyst’s report on higher ed funding in a post yesterday and provided a link to the document.  One thing that faculty do is evaluate and give grades.  In this case, the grade for the report would have to be an “incomplete.” Pensions: The LAO continues its assertion that the state has no legal liability for the UC pension.  It wants the legislature to say so.  The legislature can say the Moon is made of green cheese if it wants.  But the Moon will be what it is.  The question of state liability is a legal matter…