politics

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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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Reality Check on Online Higher Education

Byuclafaculty

Arizona State University (ASU) offers online undergrad and grad degree programs.  It is actively recruiting Californians. Click on http://asuonline.asu.edu/?utm_source=ca-asu-edu&utm_medium=ca-asu-edu&utm_campaign=california-visit If you visit this link, you will be given information in written and video format.  A sample course format is at: http://asuonline.asu.edu/how-it-works/learning-online-at-asu So what is the cost?    The ASU website offers a course calculator: https://students.asu.edu/costs  I used the calculator and entered that I was an Arizona resident, that I was seeking an online undergraduate degree, and that I would be enrolling as a freshman.  The cost per academic year was reported to be $10,792.  Of course, there are no living expenses payable…

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Two Charts from the UCLA Anderson Forecast Worth Pondering

Byuclafaculty

Economist says California at risk of losing its educational advantage Timm Herdt, Ventura County Star, February 5, 2013 SACRAMENTO — A senior economist with UCLA’s Anderson Forecast warned lawmakers Tuesday that California is at risk of losing what has long been one of its top economic advantages, a workforce that is better educated than those in other states. Jerry Nickelsburg told members of an Assembly panel (that)… California still leads the nation in percentage of college-educated adults, calling that statistic “a reflection of our advantage in skills.” But Nickelsburg disclosed census data that shows the state’s advantage has disappeared among…

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Magical Thinking on Online Higher Ed to Spread to Legislature

Byuclafaculty

From the Sacramento Bee Capitol Alert blog we learn that legislative Democrats are going to be educated on online higher ed: (excerpt) Senate Democrats will be gathering for a policy retreat at the Stanford Mansion today…  Democrats will be mapping strategy for the year ahead, and Capitol Alert has learned that online education guru Sal Kahn will be speaking. Kahn’s presence underscores the serious attention online education has been getting, including from Gov. Jerry Brown and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, as a way to educate more students for less. The University of California regents have lent their support to the idea as Brown pushes the university system…

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Yeah, sure. We believe you, Mark.

Byuclafaculty

From the LA Times:…Governor Jerry Brown suddenly became active in UC policies and Mark Yudof resigns. Is there any connection?There is really no connection because I’ve been pondering [resignation] for a long time. The governor is extraordinarily intelligent, he is extraordinarily passionate. It does require some energy to respond to his ideas, but I’m fine with that. That would not be a reason to move on. If anything, I have some confidence that out of this passion of the governor, some very positive things for the university can come… Of course, we believe you, Mark…[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOjTVYQ-Xcg?feature=player_detailpage]…But there were the good old…

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California GOP pushes higher ed tuition freeze/cheap degree

Byuclafaculty

From the Sacramento Bee today:What’s a marginalized minority party to do? It’s a key question for Republican lawmakers staring down a newly enshrined Democratic supermajority. Part of the answer so far seems to be a renewed emphasis on higher education. Both Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, and Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, R-Camarillo, have introduced a pair of bills that would freeze tuition at the University of California and California State University for the seven-year duration of the higher tax rates mandated by Proposition 30… In a written response to the budget, Republican Connie Conway, R-Tulare, called the tuition freeze bills an effort to “ensure…

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Self-esteem of the electorate: Potential tool for UC?

Byuclafaculty

Self esteem California has been famous (infamous?) for its self-esteem movement.  And it is also famous for the popular love of direct democracy. A PPIC poll recently released is in the headline for showing an uptick in popular and voter approval of the governor, the legislature, etc.  But when asked who should make key long-term decisions, the popular response by about three fourths of those polled is that it should be left to voters, not the legislature or the governor. I suspect that there is some opportunity here for UC if we continue to get gubernatorial mucking around at the…

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Burning Sofas: A Lesson for the Governor on UC

Byuclafaculty

A column in today’s Sacramento Bee tells a tale about sofas with lessons for the governor.   Here is an excerpt: Gov. Jerry Brown is about to repent for a sin he didn’t know he committed in 1975. Ten months after Brown took office the first time, his administration produced a little-noticed regulation requiring that furniture sold in California comply with the strictest fire safety standard in the nation. Befitting its turgid language, the regulation came to be known as Technical Bulletin 117. Although it was supposed to save lives, another story has emerged in the intervening decades. Technical Bulletin…

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Jerry Brown on Higher Ed Funding in the State of the State

Byuclafaculty

In case you missed it, Gov. Brown’s State of the State message yesterday contained only a brief paragraph on public higher education.  Most of his education remarks were directed at K-12.  Below is what he said about higher ed: “With respect to higher education, cost pressures are relentless and many students cannot get the classes they need. A half million fewer students this year enrolled in the community colleges than in 2008. Graduation in four years is the exception and transition from one segment to the other is difficult. The University of California, the Cal State system and the community…

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California Assembly Speaker John Pérez on the UC Budget, Tuition, Access, and Other Matters

Byuclafaculty

At the January 17, 2013 UC Regents meeting John Pérez spoke about the state budget and other issues. Pérez is an ex officio regent.  A summary follows and there is a link to an audio of his remarks at the bottom of this post: Summary: UC is unrealistic about increased funding from the state, backfilling of past budget cuts, or predictability for the university.  It is not addressing predictability for students.  UC was good at protecting the neediest students but not so good at protecting the middle class.  There are legislative concerns about graduate and professional school students, not just…