UC

| |

UC Follows UCLA and Becomes a No-Smoking Zone Today

Byuclafaculty

Following the earlier lead of UCLA, all UC campuses today become smoke-free zones, including such products as e-cigarettes.  According to a UC media release: …Effective Jan. 1, 2014, the University of California will be entirely smoke and tobacco free. Smoking and the use of all tobacco products including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, snuff, water pipes, pipes, hookahs, chew and any other non-combustible tobacco product will be prohibited across all campuses and facilities, including inside buildings, outdoor areas and sidewalks, parking lots, and residential housing areas. This is a major change for many people and will require all members of the university…

| | | | | | | |

Yesterday’s news

Byuclafaculty

Christmas day tends to be a slow news day.  However, for those who didn’t see it, the LA Times carried a front page story about UC’s online offerings which allow cross-campus credits.  You can find the article at: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-online-20131222,0,6798231.story Blog readers will be familiar with these offerings.  We noted in a prior post that UCLA seems to be a taker rather than a giver in this endeavor.  That is, other campuses’ online courses are available to UCLA students.  But UCLA is not offering courses to the other campuses.  Berkeley, Irvine, Davis, and Riverside seem to be the offerers.   Now, how…

| | |

Dividing the $5 Million Pie for Undocumented Students

Byuclafaculty

The Daily Bruin is carrying a story on its website detailing how the $5 million for undocumented students allocated by President Napolitano is to be spent: [excerpt] …UCLA will receive $848,000 of the total $5 million for undocumented student services and financial aid, the most out of any UC campus, according to the letter. UCLA currently enrolls more than 450 undocumented students, a 65 percent increase from last year. There are about 900 undocumented students in the UC system.  Of the amount allocated to UCLA, $250,000 will provide services for undocumented students and $598,000 will go toward undocumented student financial…

| | |

UC Prez has some online ed doubts

Byuclafaculty

…In a departure from some of the online education hype that marked the early part of the year, [CSU Chancellor Timothy] White and [UC President Janet] Napolitano said they didn’t see online course technology as a solution for lower-division or remedial course work — though they said it is promising for some specialized courses. White went further, calling a recent San Jose State experiment with the online startup Udacity — in which fewer than half of the students passed online courses — a failure.  “For those who say, ‘Well, Tim, you’ll save a lot of money if … you do…

| | |

Maybe It’s Better to Get Than to Give

Byuclafaculty

We have been following the issues of online education on this blog.  $10 million has been earmarked by UC for online course development.  So what is currently on offer?  And who is doing the offering? Above is the current listing.  [Click to enlarge and clarify.]  Berkeley, Riverside, Davis, and Irvine seem to be doing the offering.  UCLA students can take these online courses (Spanish is now fully enrolled) but UCLA isn’t offering any such courses to other campuses, at least according to the UC websites below.  So, despite the holiday season, maybe it’s better to get than to give.http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/30393 http://crossenroll.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/all-courses.html…

|

The Brand

Byuclafaculty

We’re still fascinated by that page on the UC website that provides “brand guidelines” so that we can all “speak UC.” You can find it at http://brand.universityofcalifornia.edu/. Clicking around and you will learn that “University of California” is actually a “wordmark.” And you probably thought it was just the name of the UC system!  In fact, the “University of California” wordmark serves as the primary graphic identifier of the university for systemwide communications. However, the visual identity is more than just the wordmark. Photography, other graphics, typography, color palettes—all these elements help form the “visual ecosystem” for the name of the…

| | | | | | | |

Lessons from Berkeley’s White Elephant Stadium for UCLA, the Regents, and UC?

Byuclafaculty

People keep noticing Berkeley’s White Elephant money-draining stadium – one of the grand capital projects that the Regents routinely approve based on pretty slides and business plans offered by the campuses.  Peter Schrag in the San Francisco Chronicle today ties the low graduation rates of Berkeley athletes with the stadium: …Fueling the… issue is the chronic matter of cost – what the university kicks in to the sports program – and what someone called “its gold plated” spending. Brian Barsky, a Berkeley computer science professor and vocal critic of the athletics program, says between 2003 and 2011, athletics “drained campus…

| | |

Losing Our Edge

Byuclafaculty

Probably a different Edge Report: Calif. losing its edge in higher education SAN FRANCISCO — More attention must be paid to the California State University system and to the state’s community colleges if California is going to produce the educated workers its economy needs, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom says in a report set to be issued Tuesday.  The report commissioned by Newsom argues that the state is losing its place as a national leader in higher education.  The report, prepared by the nonpartisan Committee for Economic Development based in Washington, D.C., finds that the percentage of young adults earning associate…

|

Union for Docs at Student Health Centers

Byuclafaculty

From the Daily Bruin: On Thursday, the University of California formally recognized the Union of American Physicians and Dentists as the exclusive representative of doctors working at any of the student health centers. The campaign to unionize began with a few University doctors who reached out to the union in December 2012. Physicians voted in April to appeal to the UC to recognize the union. Doctors were motivated to join the union because they want more input and autonomy in running the UC student health centers, said Dr. Stuart Bussey, president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists… Full…

| |

Limited Order Bars Only About 50 Workers from UC One-Day Strike Today

Byuclafaculty

Westwood demonstration during prior 2-day strike We noted yesterday that UC sought an order through PERB barring certain critical workers from the one-day strike today. According to the State Worker blog of the Sacramento Bee: …A judge has banned a relative handful of employees who provide patient care at University of California medical facilities from participating in a statewide strike set for Wednesday.  Sacramento County Superior Court Judge David I. Brown said that a strike by about 50 AFSCME-covered employees, mostly respiratory theratpists, would “create a substantial and imminent threat to the health and safety of the public and patients…