CA Assembly Committee Hears LAO Report on Higher Ed & Master Plan: 1-18-11
Testimony by an LAO staffer to the Assembly Committee on Higher Ed, Jan. 18, 2011, can be heard below in two parts: Part 1: Part 2:
UC budget crisis
LAO Continues to Support UC Budget Cut Including Cut in Current Year
The Legislative Analyst, in a slide presentation to the legislature, continues to argue that the governor’s cuts are reasonable, given the magnitude of the state budget crisis, and that the cut should be partially in the current year rather than all next year. Slide #7 of the presentation states: LAO assessment: proposed General Fund savings are reasonable. * Given the magnitude of the state’s budget shortfall and the universities’ current-year augmentations, we believe the magnitude of the proposed cuts is reasonable. * However, we recommend achieving some of the General Fund savings by reducing the universities’ current-year augmentations. The full…
LAO to UC: You Were Prudent So We Can’t Wait. Let’s Cut You Now Rather Than Later
Bizarre! The LAO had previously said that instead of cutting UC (and CSU) next year, we should cut now – although we are more than half way through the fiscal year – spreading the cuts equally among the two years. I am reproducing a new report by LAO that makes the argument that UC and CSU were prudent and therefore taking away money this year won’t hurt as much. The relevant portions are in LARGE italics below. I reproduce the entire report. Scroll to the bottom for a link to a pdf version. January 24, 2011 The 2011–12 Budget: Achieving…
70% Tuition Hike? Thanks for the Suggestion, Joe!
Joe Mathews pens a blog item with a scare headline on tuition and then suggests we put UC tuition increases on the ballot. Thanks for both helpful thoughts, Joe. PS: You can do better. Could a 70 Percent Tuition Increase Be in UC’s Future? PropZero blog of KNBC, Joe Mathews, 1-21-11 At the University of California, there’s a rule of thumb: for every $100 million that the university system loses in public support, fees (now being called tuition) goes up by 7 percent. So let’s do some facile math. With Gov. Brown proposing to cut $500 million from UC (a…
Regents Contemplate the Budget & Admissions 1-19-11 – Part 2
This posting continues from Part 1. Please see the text of Part 1. Part 6 UC-San Diego / Holistic Admissions Part 7 Holistic Admissions – continues Part 8 Holistic Admissions – continues Part 9 Holistic Admissions / Student Response to Budget Part 10 Budget Part 11 Budget Part 12 Budget Part 13 Budget Part 14 Budget (end of morning session)
Regents Contemplate the Budget & Admissions 1-19-11 – Part 1
I am going to be posting the Regents meeting audio from the session of 1-19-11, morning. This session was devoted to the budget outlook and a proposal to expand “holistic” admissions. It takes me some time to get the audios in shape for posting. I am going to post four which deal primarily with the budget and one which gets into the holistic discussion. When I have time, I will continue the posting. However, the budget discussion – although no decisions were taken – may well be significant. If you listen to the speeches by Regent Gould, President Yudof, and…
LAO Perspective on Higher Ed in Governor’s Budget
Below is the report on higher ed and the governor’s proposed budget just issued by the Legislative Analyst. In certain respects, the report tends to minimize the problem. For example, a chart below (Figure 5) shows the budget through the current year but omits the cut for next year. That cut brings the budget down to last year’s. In its earlier report, and now this one, the Leg Analyst repeats the idea that the legislature should tell UC how to make the cuts. At today’s Regents meeting, there was much talk about the budget cuts; the idea that the legislature…
UCLA Faculty Assn. Chair Dwight Read Suggests a Budget Forum to the Chancellor
Below is the text of a letter sent today by UCLA Faculty Association Chair Dwight Read to Chancellor Block suggesting a budget forum. Gene D. BlockChancellor, UCLA2147 Murphy HallLos Angeles, CA 90095-1405 Jan. 18, 2011 Dear Chancellor Block, As Chair of the Faculty Association at UCLA, an independent, voluntary organization of Academic Senate members on this campus, I am writing to you again about the welfare of the University in the current budget crisis.Governor Brown¹s budget proposal cuts $500 million from UC’s budget if the voters extend tax increases for another 5 years. If this source of revenue fails, there…
Former Chancellor Young Reviews Funding Options for UC in the Face of the State Budget Crisis
In a chapter for the current edition of California Policy Options, former UCLA Chancellor Charles Young reviews funding options for UC. He discusses status quo funding, privatization, and “modified self-sufficiency” in this chapter and suggests the last as the most viable of the three. California Policy Options 2011 will eventually be available in full on the web. However, you can access the Young chapter at https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BzVLYPK7QI_4MzhmMjMyMmUtN2Y0Zi00Njc4LWEyMWQtOWE0MWVkMjdlNjY0&hl=en&authkey=CMLHxK4O A related item is an op ed by yours truly in today’s Daily Bruin: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BzVLYPK7QI_4Y2E4OTFjZmQtM2QzNy00NjA2LWI4MDAtZWNkYTRhODdiMWI2&hl=en&authkey=CLeVhc8JAnd finally, if you really want to know more than you should about the way state budget sausage is made,…
There’s No Stopping Expansion at UC-Merced: Budget Crisis or Not
UC Merced marks site for $89m science building Yesenia Amaro / Merced Sun-Star / 1-16-11 University officials, students, and local and state elected officials convened at the school’s library on Friday for a dedication ceremony for the new $88.8 million Science and Engineering Building 2. The 102,000-square-foot, three-story building will be located across from the Science and Engineering Building. The new building is expected to open its doors in 2014. Chancellor Steve Kang said the new building “will allow UC Merced to continue to provide exceptional academic and research opportunities.” … UC Merced was allocated more than $100 million from…