California's higher education system could face decline

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-college-cuts31-2009jul31,0,6428362.story

California's higher education system, created to offer the opportunity for advancement to any resident, rich or poor, has seen hard times before. But the deep cuts imposed by the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this year are raising the question of whether the University of California, the California State University system and the nation's largest community college network can maintain their reputations for quality, or whether a public higher educational system that has been lauded as the world's finest may be in serious decline.

"This notion of the California dream, the idea that every adult could go to college, we've been hacking away at that during every recession for the past 25 years, and this year may well be it," said Patrick M. Callan, president of the San Jose-based National Center for Public Policy and Education. "We're coming out of this really tarnished."

The governor and legislative leaders acknowledge that the cuts will be devastating, but say they have no choice.

Already, campuses from Humboldt to San Diego are raising fees, shedding courses, slashing enrollment, and compelling faculty and staff to take unpaid furlough days. Class sizes are up, library hours are down, and long-held dreams for new programs and schools are on hold.

It's a far cry from the master plan's sweeping ambitions.

The state's college and university systems, which educate 2.3 million students annually, have roots in California's early days, but their modern history begins in 1960, when the educational plan was approved. It called for all state residents to have access to a tuition-free, public higher education, and outlined the mission of the three levels of colleges.

[1]

1. yes. so what do you suggest we do?

[Jeep789]

3. Raise the friggen taxes on those not paying their share

i.e., the rich that have gotten dramatic tax decreases over the last decade.

[Johonny]

8. ding ding

I'll go for that.

[Jkid]

2. They did had a choice

They could have raised taxes.

[Hannah Bell]

4. you keep repeating that, but it's not true. the ref wasn't about raising taxes.

[GoesTo11]

5. Break the state up

It's too large to govern. Its university system is too large to manage.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. Breaking the state up eliminates the largest block of reliably democratic electoral votes

[dynasaw]

6. Get Rid of the Bloated Bureaucracy

Over the last twenty five years the ranks of administrative positions have grown in the state university system: Vice presidents, assistant vice presidents of this that and the other, deans, associate deans, administrative associates etc., etc., even as more and more part time lecturers were used in place of regular faculty. The corporate model was slavishly emulated, and like their corporate cousins, these administrators pay themselves handsomely. Getting rid of most of them would make no ripple in the day to day running of most universities, and a hefty difference in money saved. Ofcourse it's too much to expect the bureaucrats would even try to reduce the fat from their own ranks to save the system.