UC-AFT Davis Local

Monday, July 12, 2010

Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, July 12, 2010

Taking online college courses is, to many, like eating at McDonald's: convenient, fast and filling. You may not get filet mignon, but afterward you're just as full.

Now the University of California wants to jump into online education for undergraduates, hoping to become the nation's first top-tier research institution to offer a bachelor's degree over the Internet comparable in quality to its prestigious campus program.

Fundamentally, the issue we face is whether quality education in California will remain a public good, or become private and limited. Read the following two blog articles and think about the implications that follow.

Californiaprof and Gray Brechin

Please take the time to think about these views and bring the discussion to the classroom and with your colleagues.

Currently, research universities are under attack from all sides. States are decreasing their funding for public universities, and due to the global financial meltdown, private universities have seen their endowments reduced. More importantly, the general public is questioning the value of these institutions; in fact, a recent poll found that the public feels that universities and colleges are being run like businesses, and the result is that the costs are going up, but the quality is going down.

While campuses cut classes, raise fees, furlough employees, and lay off instructors, they have been hiring outside firms to help them restructure. A few months ago, Berkeley announced that it would pay Bain and Company $3 million to suggest ways to reduce the Cal budget, and now UCLA has hired the Huron Consulting Group to assist in the campus’ restructuring.

A coalition of academic associations is today issuing a joint statement calling on colleges to recognize that they have "one faculty" and to treat those off the tenure track as professionals, with pay, benefits, professional development and participation in governance.

by Bob Samuels, 1/28/2010 Huffington Post article

Just a reminder: Voting on the recently negotiated tentative agreements (TAs) between the university and the union will take place:

Monday (2/1): In front of the Shields library (if weather is poor, I will go inside the main entrance and find a table) from 12:00 to 12:30pm.

Wednesday (2/3): In front of the main entrance to the Carlson Library (Just inside the Scrubs, if weather is poor) from 12:00 - 12:30pm.

Wednesday (2/3): In front of Shields 1:30pm - 2:00pm

We all want to congratulate Axel for taking on this significant role in the union to work for the entire membership state-wide. Axel will remain the president of Local 2023, UC-AFT.

Members should be receiving an official announcement soon, but I just wanted to keep you all informed of this event and wish Axel a lot of luck in the extra work he will do on behalf of our membership.