"Most people will agree that large packages of perks and substantial salary increases are sending the wrong message to the people of California," said Joe Kiskis, vice president of external relations for the Council of UC Faculty Associations. He said the salary increases aren’t substantial in comparison to the university’s budget deficit, but state legislators – and the public – have been unhappy about UC executive salaries for some time…

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by Diana Lambert, The Sacramento Bee.

Posted: June 25th, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Nearly 10 years ago, I authored SB 1644 that guaranteed Cal Grant Scholarships to California’s neediest students. Today I am very concerned that in the heat of the budget battle, California’s highly successful system of financial aid delivery and outreach to our most vulnerable students will be dismantled. The Legislature wisely rejected Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to eliminate the Cal Grant program and instead proposed limited cuts to the amount of the grants. Yet California’s landmark program — that guarantees financial assistance to low-income students who worked hard to meet college admission requirements — is still very much at risk of being dismantled.

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by Deborah Ortiz, Capitol Weekly.

Posted: June 25th, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Many of the questions asked couldn’t be answered Tuesday at a forum to address pay cuts and furloughs next year for University of California employees. Merced workers expressed dismay over a plan from the UC Office of the President to cut pay by 8 percent for employees earning more than $46,000 yearly. All other salaries — with the exception of student workers — would be cut 4 percent.

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by Danielle Gaines, The Modesto Bee.

Posted: June 24th, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Santa Rosa Junior College is cutting 15 percent of its fall course schedule, a move that will eliminate about 430 classes and save $2.5 million… College trustee Rick Call said the campus is bracing for cuts that are largely unknown as the state grapples with an estimated $24 billion deficit. "It’s 2010-2011 that we are really worried about. We just have to have our ducks in a row," he said. "The next few years are going to look totally different than they have. It’s not going to be the same school that we have had."

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by Kerry Benefield and Clark Mason, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Posted: June 24th, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

CSU officials are proposing to furlough nearly all of the 47,000 university employees, with the exception of public safety personnel, to help cut a $584 million budget deficit for the 2009-10 fiscal year, said Claudia Keith, a university spokeswoman…Before voting on the furlough plan, the California Faculty Association, which represents 22,000 CSU faculty, wants to know how the plan will take into account faculty members’ unconventional work schedules and how CSU officials plan to close the remainder of the budget gap, spokeswoman Alice Sunshine said.

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by Sean Nealon, The Press-Enterprise.

Posted: June 23rd, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

All Cal Poly employees except for those in public safety may have to take two days a month of unpaid furlough – a 10 percent pay cut – to help the university address budget problems stemming from the state’s financial crisis. The unpaid furloughs are among several cost-cutting measures the university and others in the California State University system are discussing. Cal Poly faces losing about $33 million to $34 million, or 15 percent, of its $223 million annual budget because of state cuts, university officials say.

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by AnnMarie Cornejo, The San Luis Obispo Tribune.

Posted: June 23rd, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

The University of California has itself to blame for the current wrath of legislators. It has approved dismayingly lavish packages for executives, conducted too much business in secret and at least initially resisted calls for reform. Its leaders’ misdeeds have been frustrating and high-profile — but they amount to a small part of what is overall a well-run public university system that is managing under trying circumstances to protect its functions of top-tier education and renowned research. Two proposed amendments to the state Constitution that would strip UC of autonomy are unnecessary and potentially damaging. They should be kept off the ballot.

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by The Editors, The Los Angeles Times.

Posted: June 21st, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

University of California faculty representatives are blasting the UC Board of Regents for failing to adequately address the state budget crisis’ impact on the 10-campus system. In an open letter sent Wednesday, the UC Faculty Association accused the regents of inaction when the system faces cuts of more than $800 million as part of the state’s effort to close a $24 billion budget deficit.

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by AP, The San Jose Mercury News.

Posted: June 19th, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

The UCSC faculty Committee on Planning and Budget issued a brief response Friday to Yudof’s recommendations, saying the plan should not cut the salaries of the lowest-paid workers and must be clear about the effect on future benefits and when pay rates would be restored. The committee also suggests the university should look at other savings options. "While we were asked to review this proposal, it is critical to note that the decision-making process itself has failed to lay out possible long-term alternatives to salary reductions that might include reducing instruction or planning to reduce the UC’s holdings via the sale of assets," the committee’s statement said. "The absence of such major policy guidance from the UC leadership is deeply disturbing."

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by J.M. Brown, The San Jose Mercury News.

Posted: June 19th, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Beresford said SDSU expects to know more about additional cutbacks after a special budget meeting that California State University trustees have scheduled for July 7 in Long Beach.

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by John Wilkens, The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Posted: June 13th, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.