UC budget crisis

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UC-Merced Med School: UC Budget Problems Not a Concern?

Byuclafaculty

Richard III might have trouble getting a horse at UC-Davis thanks to UC budget woes – see the previous post. But if he fell off one at UC-Merced, he could get his injuries cared for at the new med school if grand plans continue to go forward. From the Merced Sun-Star: Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 Lawmakers support UC Merced med school Assembly members recognize need for doctors in Central Valley. By JAMIE OPPENHEIM SACRAMENTO — Members of the Valley Coalition for UC Merced Medical School and other UC Merced officials made the case for the need for a medical school…

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Richard III Might Be Out of Luck at UC-Davis Thanks to Budget Cuts

Byuclafaculty

From the Sacramento Bee: A few horses munched quietly on feed Wednesday morning in a dusty pasture tucked away on the University of California, Davis, campus. It was likely one of their last meals at the university’s Equestrian Center before they’re shipped to new homes as the center deals with heavy cuts to its funding. “These pastures used to be full,” said Julie Smith, the center’s assistant director. “And now these are the stragglers that are left.” Loss of funding to UC Davis’ department of campus recreation has meant cuts to the Equestrian Center, which opened in 1962 and has…

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DNA for Berkeley Freshmen: Top Legislative Priority?

Byuclafaculty

Below is an excerpt from a Sacramento Bee article describing a legislative hearing over a UC-Berkeley freshmen orientation program which involved voluntary DNA testing. The full story is at http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/11/v-print/2950513/uc-berkeley-professors-defend.html “Two UC Berkeley professors Tuesday defended a controversial plan to perform genetic testing on incoming freshmen during a legislative hearing that also featured testimony from privacy experts and bioethicists blasting the plan. Lawmakers asked questions about the Bring Your Genes to Cal project, but ultimately have no authority over the University of California. Whether the project moves forward likely depends on the outcome of a meeting today between UC Berkeley…

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Ronald Brownstein Comments on UC and CSU

Byuclafaculty

The Coming Campus Collision: Public universities face expanding needs and contracting resources. Aug. 7, 2010by Ronald Brownstein IRVINE, Calif. — The orientation tours that I attended last week at two University of California campuses looked like a postcard from the next America. Demographers project that minorities will comprise a majority of all Americans under 18 as soon as 2023. But that future is already here in the sprawling University of California system, where African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and all other nonwhites represent 70 percent of students, up from about half two decades ago. These campuses are not only cultivating the state’s…

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This Lecture Brought to You By…

Byuclafaculty

Californiawatch reports UC-Davis deal with US Bank at: http://www.californiawatch.org/watchblog/01-uc-davis-offers-marketing-76-access-perks-us-bank-exchange-royalties Excerpt This fall, University of California Davis students, faculty and staff will get new photo ID cards emblazoned with the US Bank logo. They can use the cards to check out books from the library and, if they choose, withdraw money at an ATM from a new US Bank checking account… The university stands to gain millions of dollars in cash for student services from US Bank by giving the bank exclusive access to marketing opportunities, free advertising and signage and other perks. Under the 10-year agreement, the more people at…

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Political Deadline on UC Pension & Its Dangers

Byuclafaculty

I have been posting material related to the two gubernatorial candidates’ positions on public pensions. As noted, Brown mentions UC explicitly in his pension program – although he does not say anything in particular about it. Whitman does not explicitly reference UC. The key points to keep in mind are: 1) Unlike other public pensions, UC has the $2-for-$1 problem. In essence, 2 out of 3 dollars of employee contributions to UC’s pension fund come from non-state sources such as research grants and hospital patient revenues. If the inflow of pension money is too low, the $2 cannot be recouped…

Things-Could-Be-Worse Dept.: Rolling Back the Budget at Texas A&M

Byuclafaculty

A&M may flush free TP in dorms By MAGGIE KIELY The Eagle Published Wednesday, July 21, 2010 12:10 AM Elaine Benes sits in a bathroom stall, pleading with a stingy toilet-paper hoarder to “spare a square.” “Excuse me. I’m sorry. This is, a, kind-of embarrassing but there’s no toilet paper over here.” “Are you talking to me?” the stranger asks. “Yeah, I just forgot to check. So, if you could spare some.” Nope. More awkward banter. “Three squares? You can’t spare three squares?” Benes shouts. The woman leaves after saying: “No I don’t have a square to spare. I can’t…

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After the Faculty Assn. Letter to the Regents of June 2009, Where Are We?

Byuclafaculty

In a previous post, I noted a proposition that the governor promised – but that never appeared – to insure that California spent more on higher ed than on prisons. In mid-June 2009, the Faculty Association sent a letter to the Regents and President Yudof asking that the Regents treat the UC budget crisis as an emergency. It gave examples of the impact of budget cuts on campus operations and the difficulties facing UC in funding the retirement plan. The letter is reproduced below. It produced a front-page headline in the San Francisco Chronicle. The response from President Yudof and…

Just Asking: Where Is the Proposition on Higher Ed vs. Prisons?

Byuclafaculty

Yesterday I posted the LAO’s guide to various November ballot propositions. Perhaps it might be of interest to ask about a proposition that is not on the ballot in November – and which was not on the ballot last June, either. Remember the governor’s State of the State speech in early January? If not, you can read it at: http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/speech/14118/ You might recall that the governor proposed a constitutional amendment that was supposed to guarantee that spending on higher ed would exceed spending on prisons. His accompanying press release http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/14124/ summarized the plan as follows: Constitutional Amendment to Increase Higher…

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LAO analysis of Nov ballot propositions

Byuclafaculty

Various propositions will be on the November ballot thanks to Governor Hiram Johnson (elected 1910) who brought us direct democracy. Some may have indirect implications for the state and therefore the UC budget. None deal directly with higher ed financing. The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) has now released its analysis of each of the ten propositions. You can read the LAO’s views at http://www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/ballot_source/Propositions.aspx (Be sure to click all 3 pages. Note that there have been moves to pull the water bond off the ballot.) Among the propositions for November is one that would allow passage of the state budget…