The California State University system is being forced to become more efficient with their budget, as they do not have enough money to offer enough classes to meet the student demand. Cutting classes is not enough, as there are a small minority of “super seniors” who are taking up space in classes which they do not need. Many times, when a student transfers from another California college, they have credits from classes which do not count towards their degree. Often, students take the incorrect classes because of poor planning, and other times they switch majors which makes many of their credits irrelevant. In order to push these super seniors along who have been trying to graduate for more than 5 years, the California State University system will work with students to get them on a plan to graduate. As more of the super seniors graduate it will open up classes to students who are struggling to get into the classes they need to graduate. In addition it will improve graduation rates, which are much lower than the University of California system.

Ultimately the goal is not to stop people from getting two or three bachelor’s degrees, but for now it is intended to have those students graduate with one degree and return when things improve. Students can also seek out private career colleges in California where class availability is not an issue, and a student can take their time to graduate with their degree. The bottom line is that there needs to be better communication among all private and public colleges in California so that students and administration can improve the rate at which all students graduate. Students also need to do more research into what they want to study, so that they do not waste their time, or the university’s time switching majors. This is why many schools across California and the U.S. actually ask students to declare their majors upon enrolling so they can stay on the right track to graduate on time.

A California state legislator hearing was held in Sacramento yesterday regarding the California Master Plan for Higher Education. The overall focus of the hearing was to brain storm ideas on how more students can get into college and graduate faster. One idea that came up last month in the state, was to allow California community colleges the ability to offer bachelors degrees for certain subjects. Ultimately the master plan is intended to help ensure that any California student who wants to attend college and earn their degree, has the access to make this happen. Unfortunately there have been massive budget cuts at the CSU and UC systems, which has forced some to choose community college or a private college instead. Many of the colleges have limited enrollment this year and graduating high school seniors for 2010 need somewhere they can pursue their higher education.

The leading Assemblyman on this push for California community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees is Democrat Marty Block, who represents the San Diego district. He cited how SDSU had to pause admitting all CSU-qualified freshmen for fall 2010, due to budget issues. Not all bachelors degrees could be earned at a community college under the upcoming bill from Assemblyman Block. Most of the bachelors degrees offered will be in high demand industries like nursing or technology. Another support of this change is Richard Dittenbenner of the San Diego Community College District, who is pushing for something to be changed to help keep the CSU and UC systems at the top of mind for California students. There are already a handful of states that do offer bachelors degrees at their community colleges, but making this shift in California is a big change that needs serious evaluation.

California is a very large state in terms of population, and therefore the volume of students and number of colleges can make it challenging to work as a cohesive force. There are dozens of community colleges through the state in addition to the CSU and UC system colleges, providing students with a higher education. Economic troubles and budget cutbacks over the past few years have made it tough for California colleges to stay operating at an optimal level, which has forced the three college systems to scramble, making plans to survive. Without a unifying framework there is no way for the community college, CSU, and UC systems to operate in a way that will be optimal for all schools and the students. A recent study from the Legislative Analyst’s Office illustrates how there needs to be more statewide oversight in California across all three higher education systems.

One major example cited in the report called out the recent change that the CSU system decided to cancel spring admissions, which has forced many students to overload the junior colleges with applications. Another option is to try and get in a UC school, but they are more expensive than the CSU schools and in some cases harder to get accepted into. This lack of coordination causes a significant imbalance in the California college system, which ultimately hurts the students who we need to succeed and graduate so they can be productive contributors to the local economy. The state has evolved so fast that it has not had time to put a better master plan in place. Hopefully the report, “The Master Plan at 50: Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts — Coordinating Higher Education in California,” will open up the eyes of administrators and legislators in the state so they can bring about change.

The California State University system is currently working on plans that would raise the graduation rate by 8% over the next 6 years. Despite drastic budget cuts through the state, the CSU system looks to push forward and take control of the their students graduating. No longer will it be only the students to blame, as the CSU system looks for ways to improve graduation rates, without touching the budget. While nothing is final yet, an example given by Cal State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed was that, “There are simple things we can do, like having faculty take class attendance and if a student misses a second or third time, call or e-mail to find out why and get on it before they get so far behind, get a failing grade and give up hope”. With roughly 450,000 total students, the CSU system is the largest university system in the country, producing about 90,000 graduates every year. If this new program to increase graduation rates is successful, it could mean closer to 100,000 could graduate every year. A big portion of this graduation plan involves closing the gap between white students and underrepresented minority students.

This attitude may scare some people as it could mean more streamlined general education, with less choices so students can focus on their major and graduate. Since no formal plans have been laid out, it is still unclear the exact route that the CSU system will take for their students. The idea of students, faculty, and administrators coming together as a team is a great idea that can only help the future of education. Not all of the 23 CSU schools would have the same plan, as they work to put the final touches on their plans for the upcoming fall term. The bottom line is that students will have a more clear path to graduation, with academic advice along the way to ensure that all questions or concerns are addressed.

Over the last few weeks the University of California regents has been in the news for various budget issues. This trend continues this week as yesterday the UC regents announced that they approved a very controversial performance bonus of $3.1 million, which will go to 38 senior executives at five of the UC medical centers. Many people in California are not happy about this approval, including union activist who denounced the bonuses. The reason many are upset is that so many California colleges and universities are already dealing with budget troubles, pay cuts, and even layoffs. Despite the negative feedback, the UC regents said that these funds were to be used to improve patient health and retain talented employees. Ultimately the quality of these very popular and reputable UC hospitals is in question, and it might be hard for some to stomach at this time. It is hard to deal with for lower level employees who may have only received a bonus of $300 compared to the UC hospital senior executives who received bonuses ranging from $30,000 to over $200,000.

Despite rough economic times in California, hospitals cannot suffer as it is vital to have a healthy workforce if we want to recover from our current deficit. These bonuses were awarded because the UC medical center system met a variety of targets that helped improve performance and save money. The bottom line is that the university hospitals and California colleges and universities need to be saved so that students can continue to obtain higher education. Education is what most feel is the key to getting California and the U.S. out of this economic slump, and we need the California colleges and universities to accomplish this goal.

The presidents in the California University system are paid very well, and typically get great raises each year as long as things go well. Over the past couple of years the recession has slowly been working into the college system of California and now presidents are earning a little less or not getting any raises. In the survey from the Chronicle of Higher Education, they indicate that UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau had no increase in the 2008-2009 school year. Presidents in the UC system are still doing well, as total compensation for Birgeneau was $467,556 last year. UC President Mark Yudof is paid even better bringing in $600,000 overall for his total compensation. In addition to salary and bonuses, presidents at California colleges are accustomed to receiving extra perks like car allowances. Some may feel that the pay of these UC presidents is already too high, but these colleges in California are competing with the best private schools and Ivy League schools across the country. Therefore they have to stay competitive to attract the right executive talent to lead their college to success.

It is not only the presidents in the UC system that are feeling the crunch, as many faculty and athletic coaches in California colleges have also had to get paid a reduced salary. UC presidents like Birgeneau and Yudof have taken two 5% pay cuts over the last year to help with the budget. As tuition and fees rise at California colleges and universities many students and citizens want to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the system. 2010 is already shaping up to be an interesting year for higher education in California, which people in the state and across the country will be following.

The Governor has previously mentioned his commitment to education, but his new proposal actually puts it in writing this time. Schwarzenegger’s proposal intends to change the state constitution to guarantee funding to the University of California and California State University systems. He actually wants to ensure that California does not spend more on prisons than it does on the universities. Students and faculty are very excited about this proposal as it will help secure their future, but their will be definite opposition from prison guards’ union and lawmakers who are trying to fix the budget issues. Many residents of California are wondering how this might affect overall public safety and if it will complicate things even more in an already troubling time

The proposal looks to boost overall funding to the 10 UC campuses and 23 CSU campuses across the state. Over the last few decades, overall spending on higher education in California has gradually declined. This reduction in spending has led to numerous tuition and fee increases as well as faculty pay cuts. In turn this has resulted in the universities having to take in fewer students and offer reduced course schedules.  If the proposal goes through, it would mean that the CSU and UC systems would get 10 percent or more of the general fund budget. Governor Schwarzenegger’s plans are very aggressive when you factor in the current state of the economy. However President Obama and many others feel that education is key to economic recovery and investing in it now will pay off in the future.

California State University Stanislaus President, Hamid Shirvani, sent out a New Year’s memo to his staff and faculty regarding the future of the college and the massive state deficit for the 2010-2011 budget year. Public colleges across California are experiencing similar budget issues as most have had to endure spending cuts and fee increases. Currently the colleges in the CSU system are lobbying for California to allocated enough funds so that they do not have to increase fees further for their students. This would be a big win as many colleges are having to make drastic cuts in almost every program, which included teachers, coaches, and administrators salaries. Many teachers are still weary though as there were some lay offs and many wonder if more are to come in the future if there are budget issues.

In addition to teachers and administration feeling frustrated, students are feeling even more pain as budget cuts delay their educational goals. Many students have been complaining about the increases in fees and have held protests across California colleges. There is even a statewide “Strike and Day of Action” protest being coordinated to occur on March 4th. This memo by the CSUS might have helped as this morning the Governor told a gathering of the Assembly and Senate that he is drawing the line at education with regard to the nearly $20 billion deficit for the state. Governor Schwarzenegger sees the long term value in education and suggests, as President Obama does, that it is the key to the economic recovery of California and the rest of the country.

As the economy has struggled, California has looked for ways to help boost revenues and cut costs for the state. Anything that can make the local economy run more efficiently is being reviewed right now as Governor Schwarzenegger looks to close the massive $20 billion plus gap in the California budget. Therefore, California lawmakers are looking to possibly give community colleges in the state the right to offer certain bachelor’s degrees. This trend has been happening in other states for the past decade for a variety of reasons, which are mostly economic. There are hundreds of community colleges in California for students to choose from, many of which are nowhere near a college where they can earn a bachelor’s degree or better. As a result, many students are not furthering their education beyond community college, or students are opting to attend online schools to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

The big question on the minds of the administration at many California community colleges is if they can really take on more programs and still stay focused on their mission. Only offering associate degrees and certificate degrees allows the community colleges to stay streamlined and efficient. Some professions like nursing or teaching are hard to get online because they require hands on learning and on going education. These are the type of programs that lawmakers are thinking about allowing the community colleges to offer to their students. Tuition at a community colleges is also much cheaper than four year schools so it will allow more people to get a higher education. President Obama has had a big interest in the success of community colleges across the U.S., so it will be interesting to see how things play out in California for our college system.

During World War II thousands of Japanese-Americans were made to report to internment camps where they were forced to live starting in 1942, under the presidency of FDR. This shift to pushing the Japanese-American citizens into internment camps was a result of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which was performed by Japan. The internments were not equal across the US as the west coast had some of the strictest camps where every Japanese-American in the state was detained. Across the US, other states did not detain citizens to such an extent.Though the internment camps did not last long, the fact that they existed at all is a piece of US history that many are ashamed of, which is why this sad part of US history is rarely discussed in current public forums.  In the state of California, one of the stipulations of the internment camps was the requirement for many Japanese-Americans to leave school and either enter a camp with their family or join the military. Suddenly thousands of very smart and talented students were now displaced from their college education, many of whom were never able to make it back to finish their California degree.

Now over 60 years later, in an effort to show support to those internees whose college education was halted due to World War II, UC Berkley officials offered honorary degrees last weekend to dozens of former students displaced by the war. Now in their late 80’s or early 90’s, these honorary California degree recipients are very happy to now receive this acknowledgment from UC Berkley. While these internment camps were a terrible thing for Japanese-Americans during the war on the west coast, it was also viewed as a way to protect them from mad or scared citizens. The bond that was created by those who were forced to live in these internment camps in California will never be broken. Luckily now many of those former students still living were able to bond again while receiving their honorary California degrees from UC Berkley.