Fight or Flight?

Fight or Flight?

It’s bad enough to live through budget crises that go on for years at a time while paralyzing planning and development of every kind. We also have to deal with leadership problems, centering now on the fact that neither the Regents nor UCOP nor the campus chancellors have credible plans for reversing or coping with the relentless grinding away of the university’s public funding...

Budget Matters (Part II)

Budget Matters (Part II)

As bad as the Governor's original proposal was, the budget situation is now worse.  While it is possible that the collapse of the budget talks will turn out to be political theater that seems unlikely.  Instead, we are faced with a situation where the already terrible cuts to education, health, work programs, and social services will become worse.  Although Jerry...

Wisconsin Republican Party Attacks Academic Freedom

Wisconsin Republican Party Attacks Academic Freedom

Updated Below: (1), (2) William Cronon is a professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the President-elect of the American Historical Association.  For those of you who do not know his work he has been a major figure in the development of environmental history and a leading figure in the study of United States history.  He recently began a blog...

Regent Blum Wants to Raise In-State UC Tuition to $40,000

Regent Blum Wants to Raise In-State UC Tuition to $40,000

No, Richard Blum didn't actually say that.   But that's where the plan he mentioned at a Wednesday Regents' session ends up.  Let me explain. On Wednesday afternoon, the Regents were treated to a helpful budgetary presentation by senior UCOP budget officials Patrick Lenz and Nathan Bostrom - helpful because it looked at the next five years, was frank about the...

An Odd Regental Duet this Morning

An Odd Regental Duet this Morning

I came in late on the webcast of the UC Regents Committee on Finance meeting.  I missed the three chancellors presenting their campus pictures.  I'd wanted to hear this because their last presentation, at the infamous furlough meeting of July 2009 was a devastating picture of declining quality, and clearly came as new information to the Regents.  The first voice...

Some Links From the UK

Some Links From the UK

In lieu of longer commentary I wanted to provide some of the latest news and commentary on the UK situation for those interested: A Manifesto in Defense of the Arts and Humanities (in multiple parts) Attacks on Job Security and Academic Freedom Government Issues its Guidelines on Fees Government Reforms More Costly for Students with More Regulations for Universities Willetts...

Opposition Grows to Arnold's Last Regental Nominee

Opposition Grows to Arnold's Last Regental Nominee

Updated Below (1), (2) Opposition is growing to the confirmation of David Crane, Arnold's last nominee to sit on the Board of Regents.  Crane, a Democrat who served as a Schwarzenegger economic adviser, made his career in the  financial sector.  He recently wrote an op-ed attacking collective bargaining rights for public employees. In response, Senators Yee and...

Day of Action Against Cuts

Day of Action Against Cuts

Here are some links (hat tip to Bob S)  to coverage of the National Day of Action to defend higher education against rampant and constant cuts. UCLA protests Santa Cruz Berkeley Irvine Dail Cal coverage of other protests The small size of the UC protests may flow from UC President Mark Yudof's repeated assurances that UC students will not see another tuition increase of...