UC Egypt Programs Suspended

UCLA student at the Sphinx

From the LA Times:

Worried about student safety amid the political violence in Egypt, the University of California has suspended its fall semester program in Cairo, officials said Monday. The move affects 22 students who had signed up to study advanced Arabic and other classes at the American University in Cairo... Those students can enroll instead in UC programs in Jordan, Turkey, Morocco and Israel that also offer Arabic classes... The move comes a few days after the safe evacuation of 10 UC students from a UC Davis-sponsored summer program in Egypt and the worsening of violence in the wake of the military coup that pushed president Mohamed Morsi from power...

Full story at http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-uc-egypt-20130708,0,4719676.story.

UCLA Monkey Trial Soon

We have blogged about this case before - without really knowing what the full background is.  But apparently, it is coming to trial this Thursday: The dispute over a Wake Forest University Health Sciences primate colony in southern Forsyth County goes to its first hearing at 10 a.m. Thursday.  The hearing involves Wake Forest as plaintiffs and the board of regents for the University of California system as defendants. It will be held in the federal building in downtown Winston-Salem... The Wake Forest division filed a lawsuit in February to end a joint venture with the University of California at [sic] Los Angeles at the research center in the Friedberg community. Wake Forest officials are requesting a jury trial in Forsyth Superior Court. UCLA, in return, accuses Wake Forest of financially mismanaging the research center and using vervet monkeys there for unauthorized research, including a dengue fever study. The regents alleged in their countersuit that Wake Forest is making “false” and “misleading” statements about the regents' role with the state of California. Wake Forest said it is willing to shut down the vervet colony if UCLA doesn't agree to continue to pay its obligations for operating costs... UCLA said the contract allows the university to receive the title for the colony at no cost and to relocate the monkeys...

Full article at http://www.journalnow.com/business/business_news/local/article_ac4b8b34-e803-11e2-acb6-001a4bcf6878.html

There was a former ex officio Regent of UC who knew about such matters: 

(If you have more info on this case, please use the comment option to add it.)

Where's the bus while the UCLA Grand Hotel is being built?

From the Big Blue Bus

The answer seems to be what bus and when?  The image below is from the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus whose website says:

On Monday, July 8 Ackerman Terminal will close for renovations as part of the Luskin Conference and Guest Center construction through the summer of 2016. Due to this closure, all Big Blue Bus routes serving Ackerman Terminal, Routes 1, 2, 3, 8, 12 and Rapid 12, will begin using the new temporary transit center located on Charles E. Young Dr. between Westholme Ave. and Manning Ave. (in front of the P2 Parking Garage).

Source: http://bigbluebus.com/Newsroom/News/UCLA_Ackerman_Terminal_Closure_Begins_July_8.aspx

More generally:

For Culver CityBus service, both the Rapid 6 and Local 6 service will be shifted south on Westwood Plaza, along the east side of the roadway, at Stein Plaza. Big Blue Bus (BBB) Rapid 12 and all BBB evening and weekend service will terminate on Charles E. Young (CEY) Drive north of Manning. These buses will also make stops at Westwood/Stein Plaza (northbound) and Westwood/Med Plaza (southbound). The University Apartment Shuttle will replace its Ackerman Turnaround stop with a stop at Westwood/Stein Plaza (east side of street). Metro bus routes 2 and 302 have used the Ackerman Terminal for a layover location, which will now be moved to Gayley just north of Le Conte. The most proximate Metro bus stop is located on the southeast corner of Le Conte/Westwood Blvd. Visiting tour buses and school buses should park along CEY Drive North in the designated bus parking zone proximate to the IM Field. All buses will be prohibited north of CEY Drive after the closure of the terminal as the Strathmore Bridge height limitation precludes exiting, and there will be no other area to turn around in this location. Vanpool pick-ups and drop-offs that use the Ackerman Turnaround will be shifted to the southeast corner of the nearby Westwood and Strathmore intersection. This location will also serve as a disabled person pick-up and drop-off location, including the Access Paratransit countywide service. Staff, faculty, and students who have utilized the James West or Ackerman turnarounds for pick-up and drop-off are advised to utilize alternate turnarounds such as Marion Davies, Medical Plaza, or Sunset/Westwood Plaza adjacent to the Anderson School.

Source: http://ucod.ucla.edu/important-information-ackerman-turnaround-closure-effective-july-8-2013-summer-2016

Confused?  Well, maybe you didn't want to take the bus after all:

We're Waiting for the Complete Post for the July Regents Meeting

The preliminary Regents agenda for the July 16-18 meeting has been posted.  As yet, the detailed attachments to the agenda are not available.  However, there will be approval of contribution increases to the pension for next year (2014-15) and an interim replacement for the university’s Chief Investment Officer who suddenly resigned without explanation.  In a closed session, the Regents will discuss the criminal case the LA district attorney is pursuing against UCLA Prof. Patrick Harran.  See http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2013/04/justice.htmlfor our most recent post on that case.  The Christian Head case charging discrimination (and involving a viral YouTube video) at UCLA will also be discussed at that closed session.  It was discussed a year ago at the Regents.  See http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/07/regents-litigation-agenda-behind-closed.html.  An amendment to the code of faculty conduct and discipline will be considered – but what that entails is not yet available. 

When more information becomes available, we will blog about it.  The Regents agenda is at: http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/july13.html

Meanwhile, it's hard to wait for the complete post:

Listen to the Regents: March 13, 2013 - morning session

Our efforts to archive Regents meetings (since the Regents' policy is currently to preserve them only for one year) continues.  Below is the agenda for the morning meeting of March 13, 2013.  Included was approval of a UCLA medical building about which cost concerns had been raised at an earlier meeting.  Eventually, the Regents seem to approve any construction project - even if concerns are raised - particularly when they are assured that it won't cost them anything.

Agenda for Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - morning
8:30 am Committee of the Whole (open session - includes public comment session)
9:30 am Committee on Grounds and Buildings (open session)
11:00 am Committee on Finance (open session)
11:15 am Committee on Educational Policy (open session)
12:00 Lunch

You can hear the audio of this meeting at the link below:
 

Parking at Royce Hall?

Not surprisingly for July 4th, the webcam aimed at Royce Hall this morning did not show much (any) activity.  See the image above from the webcam.  [You can visit the Royce webcam at http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/bruincam/default.htm.]  Certainly, there were no parked cars there.  When the Westwood campus was under construction, however, it was a different matter as you can see below:

GlaxoSmithKline Problem Said to Be Fixed

Back in May, we blogged about a cautionary note from UCLA indicating that a grant competition from GlaxoSmithKline appeared to circumvent university procedures.

Now an email has gone out to faculty indicating that the problem has been fixed:

I am pleased to report we resolved the barriers to faculty participation in the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Discovery Fast Track Competition. We encourage faculty who are developing novel drug targets and drug screening assays to consider applying for this program.

When the competition initially launched, we found that the terms and conditions to be at odds with UC policies and faculty interests. We took a definitive stand and notified faculty – a position that was supported by many peer institutions.

With the support of the Office of the President, we have since resolved the key concerns with GSK. Faculty may submit proposals for developing and conducting screens of GSK’s internal compound collections and thereby advance the development of novel drug targets, pathways and assays. This may lead to further collaborations and/or sponsored research with GSK, thereby helping UCLA move discoveries forward to the clinic for the benefit of patients.

The competition closes on Friday, July 19, 2013. The Office of Intellectual Property & Industry Sponsored Research will work closely with you to determine whether your submission may be appropriate for the program. Given the short and strict timeframe, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible so that we can complete the necessary steps before your proposal can officially be considered.

For more on this program, please see the link below and we look forward to working with you on potential proposal submissions.

http://openinnovation.gsk.com/index.php

Sincerely,

Brendan J. Rauw
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
Executive Director of Entrepreneurship

Get Ready to Miss the Bus

As we noted in a prior blog post, on July 8 they are coming to rip up the Ackerman bus turnaround in preparation for the construction of -TA-TA! - the UCLA Grand Hotel.  That step will put facts-on-the-ground while litigation continues.  Here is the official notice from the transportation folks:

The Ackerman Turnaround and its bus terminal will be closed due to the construction of the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference and Guest Center for the period of July 8, 2013 through summer 2016. This closure affects campus traffic circulation, bus service, and general wayfinding, as the Turnaround is an easily reached, central point of campus. 

Transit bus service will be shifted to several locations on campus, and you can view the changes on this linked map. For Culver CityBus service, both the Rapid 6 and Local 6 service will be shifted south on Westwood Plaza, along the east side of the roadway, to Stein Plaza. Big Blue Bus (BBB) Rapid 12 and all BBB evening and weekend service will terminate on Charles E. Young (CEY) Drive north of Manning. These buses will also make stops at Westwood/Stein Plaza (northbound) and Westwood/Med Plaza (southbound). The University Apartment Shuttle will replace its Ackerman Turnaround stop with a stop at Westwood/Stein Plaza (east side of street). Metro bus routes 2 and 302 have used the Ackerman Terminal for a layover location, which will now be moved to Gayley just north of Le Conte. The most proximate Metro bus stop is located on the southeast corner of Le Conte/Westwood Blvd. Visiting tour buses and school buses should park along CEY Drive North in the designated bus parking zone proximate to the IM Field. All buses will be prohibited north of CEY Drive after the closure of the terminal as the Strathmore Bridge height limitation precludes exiting, and there will be no other area to turn around in this location.

Vanpool pick-ups and drop-offs that use the Ackerman Turnaround will be shifted to the southeast corner of the nearby Westwood and Strathmore intersection (map). This location will also serve as a disabled person pick-up and drop-off location, including the Access Paratransit countywide service. Staff, faculty, and students who have utilized the James West or Ackerman turnarounds for pick-up and drop-off are advised to utilize alternate turnarounds such as Marion Davies, Medical Plaza, or Sunset/Westwood Plaza adjacent to the Anderson School. Departments should advise visitors accustomed to utilizing pay stations in Parking Structure (PS) 6 that PS 6 is now closed. Visitor parking is available on the top level of Parking Structure 8.
 
Lastly, service and delivery vehicles that use the James West Turnaround will need to shift to either the Ackerman loading dock access road (by Engineering) or the bollarded pathways leading to Bruin Walk. Impacted departments should contact service providers to ensure a smooth transition. 

Source: http://www.transportation.ucla.edu/portal/emails/bcc/0713/News1.html

So if you miss the bus, you know who to blame:

There are at least two ways to skin the business school self-sufficiency cat

Inside Higher Ed today has a lengthy article about the Anderson School's self-sufficiency MBA program.  The theme, however, is that the UC-Berkeley Haas School is doing the same thing in different ways that haven't caused a ruckus with the Academic Senate.  Both schools say the object is to put more money in the kitty and gain more "flexibility."

You can read about it at:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/02/uc-business-schools-see-different-levels-resistance-innovation-plans

Lest You Thought It Couldn't Happen at UCLA...

Unfortunately, problems of the type that happened at Penn State U apparently can happen at UCLA.  From the LA Times:

A longtime UCLA athletics official resigned amid allegations that he “engaged in inappropriate conduct,” the university said in a statement released Tuesday to The Times. UCLA Associate Athletic Director Michael Sondheimer resigned June 27 after being placed on administrative leave June 3, the statement said.

CBS 2 reported that Sondheimer “attempted to engage children in sexual chats” online.  Sondheimer graduated from UCLA in 1977 and spent at least 36 years as a UCLA athletic administrator, according to a biography posted on the UCLA Athletics website. For decades he was in charge of the department's compliance with NCAA rules and UCLA guidelines on academic admissions and on-campus recruiting, the biography said...

Full story at http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ucla-athletic-official-resigns-20130702,0,815165.story

More Scrutiny of University Enterprise Tax Exempt Status

Pay up!

We have from time to time noted the potential tax problems of the UCLA Grand Hotel project.  More generally, there is growing scrutiny of commercial-type activity conducted by universities that claim tax exemptions. 

Inside Higher Ed today points to a court decision that questions Princeton's tax exempt status.  It links to a local New Jersey newspaper:

A lawsuit that argues Princeton University violates the provisions of its tax-exempt status survived a university-led attempt to throw the case out Thursday. Plaintiffs in the case argue that, because Princeton is earning hundreds of millions of dollars in patent royalty income and is distributing some of that money to faculty, the school is deeply involved in commercial enterprise and isn’t entitled to its tax exemptions. The suit also takes aim at campus buildings that host extensive commercial activity, such as the Frist Campus Center and McCarter Theatre, which sells tickets to the general public for many events and performances...

Full story at http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/06/lawsuit_challenging_princeton_universitys_tax-exempt_status_wont_be_dismissed.html#incart_river_mercer

The Inside Higher Ed story is at http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/07/01/suit-challenges-princetons-tax-exempt-status 

The tax folks are thinking they are owed:

Changing Demographics

The Sacramento Bee today carries this demographic chart showing the Latino and white/non-Latino populations are roughly equal in California at present and the relative growth in the Latino population is projected to continue.  Due to citizenship and voting propensities, the white/non-Latino group still predominates in elections.  However, the times, they are a'changing - as the song goes - with implications for UC and higher ed in California more generally.

The article that accompanies the chart can be found at:
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/01/5536254/latinos-poised-to-catch-up-with.html

In a related article on the impact of Prop 209, the LA Times notes:

...Latinos' presence, after a temporary dip, has grown beyond its pre-1996 peak, partly because of enormous increases in Latino high school graduates. But the numbers have been stark at UCLA and Berkeley, which have the highest admissions standards of UC's nine undergraduate campuses. The Latino share of UCLA's freshmen was 21.5% in 1995, dropped to 10.4% by 1998 and has climbed to 18.1%, UC records show. Berkeley's Latino share of freshmen was 15.5%, dipped to 7.3% after the proposition went fully into effect and then climbed to 13% last fall...

Full story at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-affirm-action-colleges-20130701,0,141481.story

Listen to the Jan. 16, 2013 Afternoon Meeting of the Regents

Don't worry.  Gas mask not needed to listen to Regents..

We have been posting past (2013) meetings of the Regents because of their current archiving policy.  For more details on why this is necessary to preserve the record of these sessions, scroll down to our June 30, 2013 posts.

Much of the afternoon of Jan. 16 was taken up with closed sessions which are not available.  Included in the open discussions was a proposed medical building at UCLA (about which we have previously blogged) which is controversial because of the costs involved.

Below is the agenda:

• 1:15 pm Committee on Compensation (closed session)
• 1:30 pm Committee on Health Services (Regents only session)
• 2:00 pm Committee on Finance (Regents only session)
• 2:45 pm Board (Regents only session)
• 3:00 pm Committee on Grounds and Buildings(open session) – Includes discussion of proposed UCLA medical building (with controversy over costs)

Click on the link below to listen:

UCLA History: Knudsen in the News Today

Vern O. Knudsen

Today's LA Times has an article about the shuttering of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.  Included in that article is this brief note (below) about Vern Knudson who was chancellor of UCLA in 1959-60 and after whom a building on campus is named:

...The main hall also featured metal acoustical panels and wall sconces, attributed to Vern O. Knudsen, an authority on architectural acoustics who also served, briefly, as chancellor of UCLA...

Full article at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-santa-monica-civic-20130630,0,7440128.story

Note: As I recall, the Auditorium's problems stem from one of the byproducts of the state budget crisis of recent years: the killing of local redevelopment agencies.  It's a long story but because of the intertwining of state and local finance after Props 13 and 98 in particular, the state saved some money by killing local redevelopment agencies including the one in Santa Monica.  If Santa Monica's agency had not been killed, it likely would have been used to renovate the Auditorium.

UCLA History: Water

Nowadays, there is a trickle of water that runs through the area where the Anderson School stands.  Back in 1933, water was more plentiful in that area.

Gone

According to LAObserved, Jerry's Deli in Westwood just south of UCLA closed yesterday as the result of a rent dispute.

Story at http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2013/06/another_deli_down_jerrys.php

Rent is always a problem:

UCLA History: The Power of Higher Education

Temporary power lines supplied electricity during construction of the central campus in Westwood in 1929.  Once construction was complete, the lines were removed as can be seen below.

More Night Closures in the Sepulveda Pass

Tough to get in.

It will be hard to get into segments of Sepulveda Blvd. at night during the first half of July. From the Brentwood Patch:

Kiewit is scheduled to resume work involving the night time full closure of Sepulveda Blvd. between the Skirball Bridge and Mountaingate starting Monday, July 1 for approximately two weeks between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.  

The anticipated dates of the full closure of Sepulveda are July 1-2 and July 8-13 between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Full story at http://brentwood.patch.com/groups/announcements/p/sepulveda-blvd-to-get-widened-at-skirball-bridge

So it will be tough to get in, but maybe not impossible:

 

UCLA MBA Goes Self-Sufficient

From UCOP:*

UC president approves UCLA Anderson's proposal for self-supporting M.B.A. program

By Ricardo Vazquez, June 26, 2013

 

University of California President Mark G. Yudof has approved a proposal by the UCLA Anderson School of Management to convert its full-time, state-supported M.B.A. program to self-supporting status.

Yudof's decision — outlined in a June 24 letter** — applies to the financing of the school's flagship M.B.A. program, where the full costs will now be covered solely by student tuition rather than a combination of state funds and student tuition and fees.

In other respects, including issues related to academic content and quality, the M.B.A. program remains integral to the campus and is subject to the same policies and regulations that govern UCLA's professional schools.

Yudof's approval comes after an extensive review process in which both the faculty of UCLA Anderson and the Legislative Assembly of UCLA's Academic Senate voted to support the proposal. Yudof underscored that UCLA Anderson and all its programs will be expected to retain the characteristics of a public research university and to "operate as do all other academic units at UCLA."

"We are very grateful to President Yudof for his thoughtful consideration and approval of the UCLA Anderson proposal," said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. "It recognizes our need to adjust to new state funding realities while ensuring that the M.B.A. program preserves the academic quality and access for needy students befitting a public institution."

Among the conditions Yudof placed on the M.B.A. program's change in status is a stipulation that the program continue to ensure that student financial aid is offered for "financially needy students at a level commensurate with other UC full-time State-supported M.B.A. programs."

The conversion of UCLA Anderson's M.B.A. program to self-supporting status benefits not just UCLA Anderson but the entire campus. It frees up more than $8 million that will be used to support campus-wide undergraduate programs hurt by major reductions in state support.

"The UC system has been hard hit by state budget cuts, and I'm pleased that we've been able to offer an innovative solution that is a win-win for both the university and for UCLA Anderson," said Judy Olian, dean of UCLA Anderson. "This new financial model will provide students with tuition predictability and enable the school to invest in program innovations while redirecting state support to other needed priorities at the university."

*http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/uc-president-approves-ucla-anderson-247078.aspx

**http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/UCLA/document/Yudof_Letter_MBA_Program99.pdf

UPDATE: The LA Times version of the story is at:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ucla-business-20130626,0,4422034.story
It includes the following:

...Anderson school officials have said that donors have promised multimillion-dollar donations if the self-supporting plan goes forward in the expectation that the MBA program will become more innovative once it becomes financially independent from state support... 

UPDATE: The Business Week version notes that the systemwide Academic Senate attempted to table the plan:  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-26/ucla-wins-right-to-take-mba-program-private

...Yudof’s approval comes nine months after a UC Academic Senate panel suspended its review of the UCLA plan, saying the program failed to meet any of the four criteria required for a program to become self-supporting at UC...

Someone Noticed Newco

Some readers may recall coverage on this blog of the most recent Regents meeting (May) in which an entity at UCLA to be known as Newco was created to license university-developed technology.  One small newspaper - the East Bay Express - has now given the new entity some (negative) attention and points out that there was little coverage of the issue in the news media.

In a unanimous vote last month, the Regents of the University of California created a corporate entity that, if spread to all UC campuses as some regents envision, promises to further privatize scientific research produced by taxpayer-funded laboratories. The entity, named Newco for the time being, also would block a substantial amount of UC research from being accessible to the public, and could reap big profits for corporations and investors that have ties to the well-connected businesspeople who will manage it. Despite the sweeping changes the program portends for UC, the regents' vote received virtually no press coverage. UC plans to first implement Newco at UCLA and its medical centers, but some regents, along with influential business leaders across the state, want similar entities installed at Berkeley, Davis, Santa Cruz, and other campuses. UC Regents Chairwoman Sherry Lansing called Newco at UCLA a "pilot program" for the entire UC system...

UC administrators also say they have established sufficient safeguards for Newco and that UCLA's chancellor and the regents will have oversight over the entity. But if last month's regents meeting in Sacramento is any indication, UC oversight of Newco may be less than robust. Several regents, in fact, objected to creating an oversight committee that would keep tabs on the new entity... Many of the UC Regents are also close friends of investors who want greater access to university inventions under more favorable terms, and who want the university to subsidize early-stage business expenses and take financial risks by investing in technology startups... The most vocal advocate for Newco at UCLA has been James Economou, the campus vice chancellor of research and a doctor at UCLA Medical Center who holds a faculty appointment in UCLA's Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology. In several presentations to the regents, Economou has stressed that a Newco-type entity would patent greater numbers of faculty inventions and create more financial deals with the private sector, and that the university would benefit from the revenues and wealth this generates...

Full article at http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/public-research-for-private-gain/Content?oid=3619535&showFullText=true

Our earlier blog coverage is at http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-name-seems-to-be-taken.html