What Ever Happened to the Campus Climate Survey?

The Chronicle of Higher Ed published the chart above back in January based on national freshmen reports about the neighborhoods from which they came. [http://chronicle.com/article/BackgroundsBeliefs-of/136771] The data were gathered by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute (HERI).  [Click on the chart to enlarge and clarify.]  It was around that time that UCOP sponsored a "campus climate" survey of all the campuses.  The survey had been announced with great fanfare after various racial incidents: http://www.ucop.edu/newsroom/newswire/img/16/16489629294e7b6333135a8.pdf.  As we have pointed out on this blog from time to time, there is no sign of any results from that survey as yet despite the considerable expense in taking it.  (At least yours truly found no data from the survey on the UCOP website as of this morning.)  UCLA's faculty welfare committee expressed reservations about the survey methodology, particularly its length and whether a representative sample would result. 

But maybe there is no use in wondering about what happened to the survey:

Is that clear?

Some advice from the Legislative Analyst's Office to the legislature:

Amend BBL in Item 6440-001-0001 to Clarify 2013-14 Enrollment Target for UC

The Legislature expects the University of California to enroll a total of 211,499 state supported full-time equivalent students during the 2013-14 academic year. This enrollment target shall not include nonresident students and Resident students and eligible nonresident students who are exempt from paying resident tuition shall count toward this enrollment target whereas students paying nonresident tuition and students enrolled in non-state supported summer programs shall not count toward the target. This enrollment target expresses the Legislature’s intent that the University serve no fewer students in 2013-14 than in 2012-13. The University of California shall report to the Legislature by May 1, 2014 on whether it has met the 2013-14 enrollment goal...

Source: http://www.lao.ca.gov/handouts/Conf_Comm/2013/UC-CSU-Enrollment-Growth-060413.pdf

We get the message!

But how many students did you want?

And if it's not perfectly clear, it might help to know that BBL = budget bill language.

UCLA: It's Tufts to Get Into

The University of California system remains a popular destination for incoming freshmen – and getting into UCLA is now as hard as getting into Tufts and Cornell, at least for California students...  UCLA reported an in-state admission rate of 17.4 percent, Becker said, a level comparable to Cornell and Tufts, two of the nation’s most selective universities. Overall, the 10 campuses accepted 82,850 freshman, for an average acceptance rate of 59 percent. Berkeley and San Diego campuses were more exclusive than the average... But the prestigious public U.C. system is changing in one profound way: out-of-state students increasingly make up more of its enrollment. About a third of the 14,100 freshmen admitted at Berkeley, for instance, come from a state other than California. These out-of-state students pay premium tuition for being nonresidents.  At current tuition rates, they would bring in $112 million for UC coffers...

Full story at http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2013/05/20/13735/uc-schools-draw-record-application-numbers-ucla-as/

Entrance is getting harder:

Trends

A report to the Regents' Committee on Educational Policy for the May 15 meeting highlights the growth in the student/faculty ratio at UC.  [Click on the images above and below to enlarge them.]

The report - entitled "Academic Performance Indicators at the University of California - more generally appears to be an attempt to respond to the governor's push to make the UC budget contingent on meeting various performance measures such as graduation rates.  You can find it at http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/may13/e1.pdf

Note: An earlier post at http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-regents-meeting-preliminary-agenda.html provided the general agenda for the upcoming Regents meeting.  Apart from the item in this post and the one just prior, there is scheduled to be discussion of a report entitled "State of the University of California."  Apparently, there will be no advance distribution of that report which will be presented orally by President Yudof.

Update: As prior posts have noted, the state seems to have a received a windfall of $4+ billion, probably thanks to the fiscal cliff episode around New Years.  The state controller has now confirmed a) the receipt of the windfall and b) that the general fund now has a positive balance of around $4 billion.  It will be interesting to see if Yudof and/or the Regents have any thoughts about the budgetary news.  The controller's report through April is at http://www.sco.ca.gov/Files-ARD/CASH/fy1213_april.pdf

And if you are done celebrating "more" in the state budget as on the previous posting...

The drawing board

According to the LA Times, UC is not likely to like important elements of the forthcoming May revise budget to be issued by the governor:

..."We'd like to go back to the drawing board," said Patrick Lenz, a top UC budget official. The university was not consulted in advance about the details of Brown's proposal, he said...

And what are those elements?

Gov. Jerry Brown wants to tie some state funding for California's public universities to a host of new requirements, including 10% increases in the number of transfer students from community colleges and the percentage of freshmen graduating within four years.
Brown, who has repeatedly said the universities should be leaner and serve more students, is asking for equivalent increases in several other areas as well, according to a copy of his plan obtained by The Times. Those include raising the overall number of graduates and a stipulation that more students coming from community colleges finish their studies within two years. The document, which updates Brown's January budget proposal for overhauling higher education, also reiterates his demand for a four-year freeze on tuition and fees for undergraduate and graduate students. If either university system hiked costs, it would forfeit $511 million in state funding — a roughly 20% increase — over the life of Brown's plan...

Full story at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-brown-higher-ed-20130423,0,249490.story

The Regents have a meeting on May 14-16.  It will be interesting to see if they continue to fawn over the governor as they did when online education was on the agenda. The meeting will be in Sacramento so there is a good chance the governor will attend.

And, of course, there is the question of what outgoing UC president Yudof will say to the governor.  Will it be:

Out-of-state and international students rising at UCLA

 

The numbers are out on UC and UCLA freshman applications and admissions.  Among the findings is the fact that the proportion of non-California admits to UCLA have risen.  Two years ago, three out of ten admits were non-Californians.  A year ago, the proportion rose to four out of ten where it remains this year.  You can find these and other data at http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/fall2013adm.html [Note that admissions are not the same thing as eventual enrollments.  Note also that undergrads also enter UCLA through community college and other transfers.]

 

Reality Check on Online Higher Education

Arizona State University (ASU) offers online undergrad and grad degree programs.  It is actively recruiting Californians. Click on http://asuonline.asu.edu/?utm_source=ca-asu-edu&utm_medium=ca-asu-edu&utm_campaign=california-visit If you visit this link, you will be given information in written and video format.  A sample course format is at: http://asuonline.asu.edu/how-it-works/learning-online-at-asu So what is the cost?   

The ASU website offers a course calculator: https://students.asu.edu/costs  I used the calculator and entered that I was an Arizona resident, that I was seeking an online undergraduate degree, and that I would be enrolling as a freshman.  The cost per academic year was reported to be $10,792.  Of course, there are no living expenses payable to ASU since I would do this program online (so no dorm, etc.).   That amount is not all that far from what UC charges as the $13,200 sticker price for a California resident who is on campus (excluding room and board, etc.). See http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/paying-for-uc/cost/ The ASU price is also far removed from the notion of a $10,000 degree that some state governors around the country are touting ($10,000 for the entirefour-year program). 

To the extent that the ASU program can serve as an example for UC, it suggests that a big cost saving is not to be had.  Of course, you could enroll more students – presumably students who meet UC’s admission standards – via an online program.  And conceivably the marginal cost of an added student might be less than the price above.  But if you poke around on the website, it appears that you would have to cover the expense of a significant marginal cost for all the tech support, interaction support, course grading, etc.  There is more involved than sticking a video camera in the back of a classroom.

We have noted in prior posts that the idea has captured the governor and legislative leaders that online ed is the magic solution to the monetary gap between their desire for no tuition increases and what they are prepared to devote to UC in the state budget.  But the idea is a fantasy.  At the recent Regents session at which these views were fostered, I did not see anyone click on the ASU website or its cost calculator.  Maybe somebody should.

Student Regent Asks Why Students Weren't Consulted About Online Education (and no one quite answers)

At the Jan. 16 session of the UC Regents dealing with online education, student regent Jonathan Stein asked why UC students were not consulted.  Various regents spoke in response.  Notably, Gov. Brown responded with the admonition to "get real" about the budget, but he did not address why students were not consulted.  In addition, UC-Berkeley Law Dean Christopher Edley - who has been active in UC online efforts - was asked to respond.  His response dealt with potential access by non-UC students.  But he also did not address the question of why UC students were not consulted.

Stein's remarks refer to a table which is shown at the left.

You can hear the Stein-Brown-Edley remarks at the link below:

Demographic Shifts and Lulls

The governor's budget contains demographic projections for California.  A number of news stories have picked up on the fact that by mid-2013, the Latino and non-Latino-white populations will be equal, according to the projection.  It was pretty obvious from the 2010 Census that this development would occur soon.  However, another aspect of the projections - one more closely related to UC and budget issues - is the chart below:

Apart from the fact - well known - that the population is aging, note there is little growth in the college-age population projected for the next few years.  Moreover, the K-12 population is declining so the pressure on college admissions should be reduced for some time to come.  There seems to be a bit of a baby boom below that but they won't get to college for awhile.  (These trends have also been known for some time but they become important in the context of higher ed funding.)

The governor's budget is at:
http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/pdf/BudgetSummary/FullBudgetSummary.pdf

The demographic section begins on page 121.

Choose Me!

Lots of potential undergraduates want to get into UC and UCLA has the highest count.  About 1 out of 5 applicants are transfers for UC and UCLA. 

Has tuition slowed down applications?  All we can say is that overall, applications are up but the annual percentage increase for all-UC and UCLA is lower than it was last year: 13% vs. 9% (for UCLA also 13% vs. 9%). The Latino proportion of applicants is showing a steady rise for UC and UCLA. 

The official data are at:

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/28952

http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2013/fall_2013_applications_table1.pdf

http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2013/fall_2013_applications_table2.1.pdf

http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2013/fall_2013_applications_table2.1.pdf

http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2013/fall_2013_applications_table2.3.pdf

http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2013/fall_2013_applications_table3.1.pdf

http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2013/fall_2013_applications_table3.2.pdf

http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2013/fall_2013_applications_table3.3.pdf

http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2013/fall_2013_applications_table4.pdf

http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2013/fall_2013_applications_table5.pdf

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-sets-new-undergraduate-applications-242778.aspx

No Sander?

From the Daily Bruin on Thursday:

A forum on UCLA’s holistic admissions policies planned for Wednesday has been postponed because of scheduling problems and legal concerns about the form of the discussion, according to organizers. The forum, organized by the Undergraduate Students Association Council Academic Affairs Commission, was intended to discuss a report by UCLA law professor Richard Sander that claims the undergraduate admissions process is illegally taking race into account...

UCLA admissions officials declined their invitations after receiving legal advice against participating in a public forum with Sander, according to an email from Janina Montero, vice chancellor of student affairs.  Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management, and Gary Clark, the new UCLA director of admission, were supposed to attend the forum with Montero. All declined to attend because of this legal advice, Montero said. "We are happy to describe holistic review and answer general questions about the admissions selection process, but the planned format was not appropriate given the allegations about our work,” Montero said in an email.

Sander said he did not have any concerns about the format of this event and had planned to attend...

Full story at http://www.dailybruin.com/article/2012/12/forum-on-uclas-holistic-admissions-policies-postponed 

An earlier post on this issue can be found at:

http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/10/ucla-admissions-controversy.html

Note to those giving the admissions folks legal advice.  Sometimes it's best not to refuse to defend yourself.  It looks bad:

PPIC Poll Covers Higher Ed Concerns

The latest opinion poll from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) covers a variety of issues including higher education.  It suggests parents are worried about whether their kids will get into a public higher ed institution and what it will cost if they do.  As the table below shows, half want their kids to go to grad school. [Click on the table to enlarge and get a clearer image.]

You can find the poll at:

http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/survey/S_1212MBS.pdf

UCLA Tells Grad Students to Stick Around

Today's Daily Bruin reports that a tightening in the rules on grad students taking leaves of absence (and thus not paying tuition) is meeting protests from those students:

Graduate students discussed multiple ways to take action against recent changes to UCLA’s leave of absence policy at a town hall meeting Wednesday afternoon. This quarter, UCLA stopped accepting thesis or dissertation writing as valid reasons for taking time off to help graduate students complete their degree paths on time, said April de Stefano, director of academic services in the UCLA Graduate Division...

The change was applied with the intent of encouraging continuous enrollment and uniform progression toward a graduate degree, since many graduate students may find it harder to return to campus after taking a leave of absence...

Full story at: http://www.dailybruin.com/article/2012/11/grad-students-plan-action-against-changed-policy

We did pick up some audio from the meeting in which a spokesperson from grad division had these words:

Listen to Regents Meeting of Nov. 13, 2012

The UC Board of Regents, Committee on Grounds and Building met on the afternoon of Nov. 13, 2012.  On the agenda were public comments, approval of the UC capital budget plan, discussion of a long term plan for student housing at UC-Santa Barbara, and design approval of a $118.6 million faculty office building project at UC-San Francisco.

Two speakers in the public comments session referred to out-of-state students although exactly what was being suggested was unclear.

The capital budget is a wishlist of projects that it would be nice if the state funded through general obligation bonds.  However, given the governor's concern about the state's "wall of debt," that seems unlikely for the most part.  There is some receptivity toward seismic upgrades.

There was discussion of a long-term housing plan for students at Santa Barbara.  One regents suggested that housing might be handled more efficiently through a public-private partnership of some kind.  Campus reps from Santa Barbara said that the housing the campus provides is 40% cheaper than in the private market for students.  This discussion was followed by design approval the UC-SF office building.

We note, as we have before, that the Regents typically approve large projects - such as the UC-SF building - without having the capability of independent auditing or of verification that what was promised is what was delivered after the fact. 

You can hear the meeting (under one hour) at the link below:

Crowded market for out-of-state students?

You may have overlooked this ad that appeared in yesterday's LA Times.  But seeing it now should remind you (and those seeking out-of-state students for UC for budgetary reasons), that UC is not the only player in the out-of-state student marketplace.  ASU is clearly trying to attract Californians by placing such an ad in a Los Angeles newspaper.  And other players will be coming along.

Not all campuses of UC have equal weight in the out-of-state market, of course.  But the market is getting crowded, is it not?

Listen to Afternoon Session of the Regents: Nov. 14, 2012

The open part of the Regents meeting today after lunch was the Committee on Educational Policy segment.  (Most of the meeting was closed.)  The meeting began with some discussion of fund raising. However, most of the discussion revolved around increased enrollment of out-of-state students.  It is evident the increased number of out-of-staters is taking place for budget reasons - since such students pay full freight.  But UC reps emphasized educational benefits such as a more diverse (geographically) student body with different perspectives, especially with regard to foreign students.

The top foreign nationalities among the out-of-staters were reported to be Chinese, Korean, and students from Hong Kong and India.

There was concern that the foreigners would be disproportionately at Berkeley and UCLA.  UCLA's chancellor mentioned an eventual target of 18% foreign.  Therefore, would in-state students be shunted to Merced?  Governor Brown - who attended the meeting (see our post earlier today on the morning session) - wondered whether undergrads who come to UC end up converting themselves into residents after a year.  The answer given was that as long as they on someone out-of-state's tax return as a dependent, they can't be California residents.  Brown said that the in-state tuition benefit would far outweigh the tax deduction their parents got for a dependent.  So why wouldn't they convert to California residents?  He really didn't get an answer other than it doesn't happen much.  But the response was somewhat murky because it was also said that foreign students can't convert.  No one gave a figure on U.S. out-of-staters who convert.  Generally, however, the Regents seemed to express some unease but in the end thought having more out-of-staters was a Good Thing, although with some ill-defined limits.

You can hear the audio of the open part of the session at the link below: