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Perhaps firing a tenured faculty member is not quite as explosive as the atomic test the Regents in the photo on the left are shown getting ready to attend (1956).  Nonetheless, such firings are unusual.  One suspects that there are other such cases that lead to resignation settlements that are not widely reported. From the LA Times today: The University of California Board of Regents is scheduled this week to discuss a highly unusual proposal to fire a veteran tenured professor and deny him the perks of emeritus retirement.  The case involves a UC Riverside international finance professor who has…

The Legislative Analyst’s Office released the chart above on tuition shares of the state and the student.  Economists will be quick to note that the figures refer to average costs, not marginal.  Nevertheless, the chart tells a story. The full presentation (which notes that many lower income students pay no fees) is at http://www.lao.ca.gov/sections/higher_ed/FAQs/Higher_Education_Issue_05.pdf Note: Clicking on the link above may provide a sharper picture.

As in the past, we make available the last three months of the blog as a reader below which you can flip through. However, in that format, there is no audio or video.  For audio and video, you have to go to the originals. Open publication – Free publishing – More ucla

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdhAfMor9BM&w=320&h=195]

At one time there was ice skating in Westwood at what was originally known as the Tropical Ice Garden at Weyburn and Gayley Avenues. The photo shows it in 1949, when it was known as the Sonja Henie Ice Palace, named after the ice skating movie star of that era. The rink was closed shortly after the photo was taken to be demolished. It burned down before demolition in 1950. In the contemporary view of the Weyburn-Gayley intersection, the rink would have been located on the near right where a coffee shop now operates.

Although the new wing of the UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital was dedicated some time ago, the Wilshire side remained surrounded by an ugly chain link fence until recently.  Yours truly passed by yesterday and took this photo.  The Wilshire gate is still locked, however, and a sign declares the front landscaped area to be a construction zone.  It’s unclear what is being constructed.

The Daily Bruin online edition reported that last week Regent Chair Lansing met with several UCLA students: UC regents hear student input at UCLA after recent midyear budget cuts JILLIAN BECK, 12/17/11 Members of the UC Board of Regents met with undergraduate and graduate student leaders at UCLA Friday morning to discuss ways to work directly with students, days after another multi-million dollar cut in state funding was dealt to the UC.  The visit fulfilled a promise Regent Chair Sherry Lansing made at the Nov. 28 UC regents meeting. Lansing said she planned to travel to each of the UC campuses…

As readers of this blog will know, the existing UCLA Faculty Center building was originally slated for demolition under the now-revised hotel/conference center plan.  With the revision, the Faculty Center was spared but must now deal with its financial problems.  A call for donations has gone out, reproduced in italics below: With the dramatic challenges of this year now behind us, the Board of Governors can turn its attention to modernizing our beloved Faculty Center: e.g. renovating and remodeling rooms and public spaces, and upgrading conference and event-hosting capabilities.  To do so we encourage your support. In celebration of the…

From KQED Capital Notes 12/14/11 (excerpt): One thing that’s safe to say about John Burton, the veteran legislator who now chairs the California Democratic Party: he doesn’t ask for permission before he acts. And so on Tuesday, while Governor Jerry Brown was telling reporters that he hopes to clear the field of other tax initiatives aiming for the November ballot, Burton was filing a tax initiative of his own — an oil severance tax to help fund higher education… Burton’s proposal is pretty straightforward, and would assess a 12.5% tax per barrel of oil, with exceptions made for low-producing oil…

Background: Some instructors use videos in classes for various purposes. Of course, this practice has gone on since video tapes were around. Indeed, yours truly – who was at UCLA when mammoth elephants were still walking around campus – used 16 mm films back in the day. (Anyone remember film strips?) However, in some classes, streamed videos are used. Basically, enrolled students go to the course website, click on the video required, and see the video (motion, sound, etc.). In effect, it is the same as going to YouTube or similar websites. You don’t download the file from YouTube typically;…