We have sounded this alarm in the past, hoping lawmakers will pay attention. But it would seem that, based on preliminary conversations in Sacramento, higher education will be among the favored scapegoats, if revenues don’t reach expectations. Unless the state’s economy and resulting tax revenues show dramatic improvement, deep cuts made in higher education funding will turn into gaping chasms. Lawmakers need to find ways to keep higher education fully functional. University and college administrators need to find ways to fit into the new order, turning less into more.
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by The Editors, The Santa Maria Times.
Posted: August 24th, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.
In 1970, an applicant with a college degree was among an elite 11 percent, but now almost 3 in 10 adults have a degree. Given that a high school diploma, a bachelor’s degree and even graduate school are no longer a ticket to middle-class life, and all these years of education delay the start of a career, does our society devote too much time and money to education? Discussions: “College Doesn’t Create Success” by Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal; “A Smart Bet, but No Guarantee” by Judith Scott-Clayton, education economist, Columbia University; “Spending Triples; Results Slide” by Richard Vedder, director, Center for College Affordability and Productivity; “Investing in a Better Life” by Cecilia E. Rouse, education economist, Princeton University ;”A Good Use of a Few Years” by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, professor of psychology, Clark University; “Spend Smarter, Not Less” by Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, president emeritus, George Washington University; “Tailoring to Students’ Interests” by Sandra Stotsky, professor of education reform, the University of Arkansas; “Is It a Priority to Teach the Poor?” by Pamela Burdman, education policy analyst ; and “Preparation for Work” by Barbara Hofer, professor of psychology, Middlebury College.
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by Peter Thiel, Judith Scott-Clayton, Richard Vedder, Cecilia E. Rouse, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, Sandra Stotsky, Pamela Burdman, Barbara Hofer, The New York Times.
Posted: August 23rd, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.
If state revenue falls short, Cal State and the University of California — whose funding also fell $650 million this year — will take an additional $100 million cut. Cal State will enroll 10,000 fewer students this fall. Reed said many campuses also will try to save money by skipping repairs, not renewing contracts with part-time faculty and not replacing library books. The Cal State leader complained that higher education took a “disproportionate reduction” in the state budget. “It’s outrageous that the prison system budget is larger than UC and Cal State put together,” he said.
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by Carla Rivera, The Los Angeles Times.
Posted: August 22nd, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.
The president of San Francisco State University said Monday that Gov. Jerry Brown “doesn’t seem to appreciate high-quality education in California.” In a telephone interview shortly after announcing his retirement, SFSU President Robert Corrigan accused Brown of not doing enough to protect higher education from deep budget cuts… “What is coming back to us is that the governor doesn’t seem to appreciate high-quality education in California,” Corrigan said. “My concern is that there is no appreciation of the important role that higher education plays in this community, that it makes them more productive, what it does for the population as a whole. We are losing out on good faculty coming in.” “It’s not clear why Mr. Corrigan would make such a misguided and inaccurate statement,” Gil Duran, the governor’s press secretary, wrote in an email. “His frustration would be better directed at the Republicans who denied the people a right to vote on Governor Brown’s balanced budget plan, which would have averted deeper cuts to the university.”
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by Jennifer Gollan, The Bay Citizen.
Posted: August 22nd, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.
Leaders of California’s public colleges and universities said today that they are preparing for mid-year “trigger” cuts to their already-reduced budgets. Under the budget Gov. Jerry Brown signed at the end of June, California State University and University of California stand to lose another $100 million if revenues do not meet expectations by the end of this year. California’s community colleges are in line to lose $102 million in trigger cuts, Chancellor Jack Scott said in a conference call with reporters today… “If they pull the trigger, is that a one-time $100 million (cut) and they’ll replace it next year?” Reed said. “If it is a one-time cut, we can muddle our way through. If it is a continuation cut, that is going to be much harder going into 2012-13.”
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by Laurel Rosenhall, The Sacramento Bee.
Posted: August 22nd, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.
The signs are everywhere. California’s vaunted higher education system is broken. Recently regarded as one of the top systems in the nation, California’s public colleges offered places for all levels of students at affordable rates. But, today, at San Francisco State University, with nearly 30,000 students, and at all 23 of the California state university campuses, the squeeze is on… University officials at all levels, eager to preserve their schools’ reputations, are reluctant to say the educational quality has already dropped, but they admit it’s in jeopardy and that major changes are coming.
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by Spencer Michels, PBS Newshour.
Posted: August 19th, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.
Lieu’s bill limits the pay of campus presidents to $343,000 per year. That’s 150 percent of the salary paid to the chief justice of the California Supreme Court. No raises or bonuses would be allowed if a tuition hike occurred within three years. And internal California State University candidates must be given preference for the job. CSU had no comment on the proposal because a new committee is investigating presidential pay and selection practices. But in the past, administrators said they need to pay well to be able to recruit the best. The salary-cap proposal is popular among students who have been protesting a string of tuition hikes over the years
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by Nannette Miranda, KABC-TV.
Posted: August 18th, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.
AB 131, by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, is estimated to cost the state about $13 million annually in Cal Grants. “We’re looking at a way to structure that to get better control of costs,” Brown said when asked by The Fresno Bee’s editorial board on Wednesday if he would sign Assembly Bill 131. “But in general, I definitely think the more people we can get in our colleges and universities who have the qualifications, the better off we’re going to be in producing the wealth we need.” Cedillo said this morning that he is mindful of the state’s “very limited resources” and is working with the governor’s office to modify the bill. He said he still expects it to be passed by the Legislature this session and signed by Brown. Asked what modifications might be made, Cedillo said, “Let us work it out.”
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by David Siders, The Sacramento Bee.
Posted: August 18th, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . 1 Comment.
The University of California on Wednesday announced a merit increase plan for non-unionized employees that seeks to fend off faculty hiring raids while mollifying critics of high executive salaries during the state’s budget crisis. Under the plan, all faculty with good performance reviews will receive 3% raises this year, and nonacademic staff, who have received no increases since 2007, could be in line for larger raises. About 78,000 UC employees will be eligible under the plan, officials said. But nearly 400 employees — senior administrators and non-teaching staffers who earn more than $200,000 a year — will not be included.
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by Larry Gordon, The Los Angeles Times.
Posted: August 18th, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.
Fresno State will begin its second century greeted by the harsh reality of $32 million in budget cuts. Students will return to campus Monday to find fewer and larger classes, a shortage of teachers, higher fees and deteriorating buildings that need maintenance. And some students won’t be returning to campus at all – 1,120 were dropped from classes because they didn’t pay tuition on time. “We think it’s in part because of the cost,” said Paul Oliaro, vice president for student affairs… Fresno State President John Welty said there’s no question who’s to blame – state lawmakers. Welty assailed lawmakers’ decision to slash funding for the California State University system by $650 million Wednesday morning at the university’s annual fall assembly, which kicks off the start of the new school year. “The state has chosen to turn its back on higher education,” Welty said.
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by Heather Somerville, The Fresno Bee.
Posted: August 17th, 2011, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.
