In February 2012, the campus stood on the verge of capturing a $60 million grant from the Simons Foundation to launch a theory of computing institute. Its competition, several elite East Coast private universities, equated the problems facing the campus with a death spiral. Why, they wanted to know, would the foundation consider giving such a large sum of money to a campus that in a decade would be a shadow of itself?

Having been posed the question, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau gulped as he sat across a table from the foundation’s decision-makers. Completely unprepared for such an assessment, he paused for a full 30 seconds before unleashing a 30-minute lecture on the ongoing vitality of UC Berkeley.

“I told them everything,” he said in an interview last week. “I told them about our public character, I told them about our comprehensive excellence, I told them about our financial aid strategy.”

UC Berkeley’s proposal, which drew from a variety of fields, including molecular and computational biology, and incorporated the star power of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Saul Perlmutter, won the grant, beating out top-flight private universities like Harvard and MIT.

This triumph is emblematic of the excellence UC Berkeley has achieved under the leadership of Birgeneau, who is stepping down this summer. Worldwide rankings place it among the top universities on the globe, it has maintained its status as the premier public institution in the United States and its faculty members and students continue to win the most prestigious awards academia offers.

But the success has come at a cost, to both UC Berkeley itself and the University of California as a whole. For many, the path charted by Birgeneau through the state’s disinvestment has threatened the fabric of the UC system and alienated members of the campus community. To some, it has gone so far as to jeopardize the very idea of the public university.

Because of its stature, UC Berkeley has a unique ability among the UC schools to generate revenue through fundraising, private partnerships and nonresident tuition dollars. In a two-day strategic planning meeting shortly after he took office in 2004, Birgeneau decided to capitalize on this advantage in order to maintain what he calls the campus’s “comprehensive excellence.”

But this strategy — a mixture of increased lobbying for federal research grants, a drastically expanded private fundraising enterprise and a sharp increase in out-of-state students that yielded unprecedented nonstate revenue for the campus — favored UC Berkeley ahead of the rest of the system. By leveraging UC Berkeley’s brand, Birgeneau set the campus apart from the other nine UC campuses.

“(Fundraising) is campus-driven: You’re always counting on the allegiances and often the heartstrings of the donors,” said David Blinder, who spearheaded fundraising efforts as the campus’s associate vice chancellor of university relations and vice president of the UC Berkeley Foundation. “Their affiliations are to the campus rather than to the broad, amorphous thing that is the University of California.”

In the last fiscal year alone, the campus has raised $408 million through programs like the Campaign for Berkeley.

UC Berkeley’s prestige gives it a leg up on the fundraising competition, and Birgeneau has not shied from exploiting this advantage — a policy with which Birgeneau, who says he values the Master Plan’s multitiered structure, sees no problem.

“Ultimately, the responsibility of the UC Berkeley chancellor is to ensure that Berkeley continues to set the standard for public education nationally and internationally,” Birgeneau said. “My first responsibility is to ensure that … California has at least one public institution that is as good as the very best private institutions and sets the standard for the world.”

Birgeneau further articulated his vision of UC Berkeley’s primacy in a 2012 white paper he co-authored that called for many decision-making functions to be devolved from the central Office of the President to individual campuses. Although he said the proposal was not intended to give UC Berkeley or any other campus special status, it strained the unity of the 10-campus UC system. Among many controversial points, the paper’s proposal to create decision-making boards specific to each campus opened the door to differential tuition between campuses — a proposal that was shelved by the university’s 2010 Commission on the Future due to concerns it would irreparably destroy the system’s nine undergraduate campuses’ equal-footing relationship.

In addition to being a coalition of campuses, the UC system is also a coalition of undergraduate and graduate institutions. At UC Berkeley, the relationship between undergraduate and graduate programs has struggled — and in some cases, this relationship has been severed almost completely.

In the face of state disinvestment, graduate programs have ratcheted up tuition rates and subtly pivoted away from the campus. Combined living and tuition expenses at the UC Berkeley School of Law now top $72,000 for California residents, placing it in the neighborhood of its private peers. Meanwhile, graduate programs in the sciences have increasingly looked to sponsored projects as a way to obtain research money.

“All of the attention in access has tended be on undergraduate education,” said Judson King, director of the Center for Studies in Higher Education at UC Berkeley.

In pursuit of financial security, the campus’s graduate programs have emulated the operations of their counterparts at schools like the University of Virginia. Virginia’s Darden School of Business, for example, has relied largely on tuition and fees to finance itself self-sufficiently for more than a decade.

“What a lot of places are doing is selectively quasi-privatizing certain schools, like law and graduate business schools,” said University of Virginia professor David Breneman, an expert in the economics and financing of higher education. “But they don’t like to talk — UVA doesn’t like to talk about anything but it being a public university — but we’re moving away from the meaning that it’s largely publicly financed.”

Instead, the reliance on student fees and donations has meant that graduate programs have come to look more like privately financed arms of a public university.

In order to demonstrate to donors that he was serious about maintaining UC Berkeley’s comprehensive excellence, Birgeneau fully committed the campus to his alternative funding push.

“First and foremost, it was important for our constituents to have the confidence that nobody was going to be retreating from Berkeley’s standards,” said Blinder, who left the campus for a similar position at The Scripps Research Institute this year.

But the focus on money created an atmosphere in which Birgeneau spent so much time away from UC Berkeley pursuing additional revenue that students and faculty members alike came to see him as aloof from the needs of the campus community. The tension came to a head during Birgeneau’s controversial handling of the November 2011 Occupy protests — an episode he said he regrets — when many in the faculty called for a no-confidence vote in his leadership.

Other policies also created conflict on campus. Operational Excellence, a cost-saving initiative that Blinder credited with demonstrating the campus’s commitment to financial efficiency to donors, often became a target for its layoffs that campus workers perceived disproportionately affected nonsenior management roles.

Increased admission rates of nonresident students became an equally frequent focus of campus dialogue. During protests, activists decried the immediate effects of the out-of-state influx while analysts considered the policy myopic. A recent paper co-authored by professors Bradley Curs of the University of Missouri and Ozan Jaquette of the University of Arizona found that increased enrollment of nonresidents at public research universities, including UC Berkeley, has limited socioeconomic and ethnic diversity.

“It undermines the university’s long-term case that it is a public university and needs public support,” said Patrick Callan, president of the Higher Education Policy Institute, who called the pursuit of nonresident students “expedient revenue-hunting.” “These things represent short-term solutions to long-term systemic problems that need to be worked through.”

All these policies and decisions, and the reactions to them, are manifestations of the fundamental tension that underlies Birgeneau’s term as chancellor. His nine years in California Hall have been at some level a prolonged dialogue on what it means to be a public university.

On the one hand, the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education founded the UC system on the public ideal, according to which the population of the state invested in the education of its younger generations. This is the ideal that many faculty members and students aspire to and the principle that has guided the movement against state disinvestment of the past four years.

But as the state disinvested from the UC system regardless and UC Berkeley began raising money from other sources, Birgeneau has sought to maintain what he calls the “public character” of the university.

“Saying it’s a public university means it is available and accessible to all residents of the state depending only on their having the academic qualifications for admission,” King said. “The idea of public education is that it is available without regard to personal or family (financial) resources.”

By this metric, Birgeneau claims to have preserved public character. Although middle-income enrollment has decreased 9 percentage points from 2000 to 2010, 38 percent of UC Berkeley’s student body receives Pell Grants, and in December 2011, the campus implemented the Middle Class Access Plan, which caps parent contribution toward undergraduate education for students with family incomes of between $80,000 to $140,000.

Birgeneau’s appointment in January as the leader of the Lincoln Project — a three-year initiative organized by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences aimed at defining the future of public higher education — affords him a platform from which he can continue exploring higher education reform, this time on a national level. Though his methods have at times been controversial, his peers in public higher education refer to the successes of the campus during his tenure as the “Berkeley Miracle.”

Endorsing his work at UC Berkeley, the academy wrote in a press release announcing the move that Birgeneau “has launched initiatives at UC Berkeley that are the models for public colleges and universities elsewhere.”

Contact Jordan Bach-Lombardo and Curan Mehra at newsdesk@dailycal.org.

The post Birgeneau leaves legacy of complicated commitment to public mission appeared first on The Daily Californian.

The results of the referendum were initially held after ASUC Senators Mihir Deo and Jorge “Cheko” Pacheco filed a petition alleging that ASUC President Connor Landgraf unconstitutionally placed the measure on the ballot.

“Now that the Health and Wellness Referendum has been tabulated, and the results released, I hope the Senators will respect the will of the students of our university, and withdraw their petition to overturn this voter-approved referendum,” said ASUC Attorney General Hinh Tran in an email.

While the results have been released, the Judicial Council will rule on the constitutionality of the referendum at a trial this Thursday.

Deo said he has been considering a variety of options, including the possibility of a settlement. Though the details of a settlement remain unclear, Deo said that ideally, an agreement would include more accommodations for disabled students in the proposed center.

“I’m making sure that no stone is unturned,” he said.

The measure initially sparked controversy after Landgraf issued an executive order to put the measure on the ballot instead of submitting the language to the senate. Landgraf said he employed the executive order because of delays on the part of the UC Office of the President.

If the health and wellness referendum is deemed constitutional, as it currently stands, the measure will finance the construction of the Wellness Center as well as a new Memorial Stadium Fitness Center. It would also eliminate the RecSports membership fee of $10 per semester.

A new fee would begin in fall 2013 at an initial level of $40 per semester and would increase at regular intervals over the next 10 years.

Curan Mehra is the executive news editor. Contact him at cmehra@dailycal.org.

Correction(s):
A previous version of this story indicated that the Judicial Council will consider the constitutionality of the Health and Wellness referendum. In fact, the Judicial Council will consider the constitutionality of the executive order that placed the measure on the ballot.

The post Injunction against Health and Wellness referendum lifted appeared first on The Daily Californian.

President

Deejay Pepito, CalSERVE

Executive Vice President

Nolan Pack, CalSERVE

External Affairs Vice President

Safeena Mecklai, Student Action

Academic Affairs Vice President

Valerie Jameson, CalSERVE

Student Advocate

Timofey Semenov, Independent

Senate

CalSERVE

• Destiny Iwuoma

• Justin Kong

• Briana Mullen

• Wendy Pacheco

• Caitlin Quinn

• Sevly Snguon

• Sean Tan

Independent

• Naweed Mohabbat

The Independent Campaign for Common Sense

• Solomon Commonsense Nwoche

Student Action

• Courtney Chow

• Katherine Chung

• Karen Lee

• Sahil Pandya

• Liza Raffi

• Quinn Z Shen

• Pavan Upadhyayula

• Lauren Week

• Eric Wu

SQUELCH!

• Grant “IS A HELLA” Fineman

• Emily “CHILLAX” Truax

Propositions

A Constitutional Amendment to Improve the ASUC Advocacy Agenda: Passed

People’s Right Referendum: Passed

Fossil Fuel Divestment: Passed

Class Pass Renewal: Passed

Curan Mehra is the executive news editor. Contact him at cmehra@dailycal.org.

Correction(s):
A previous version of this post incorrectly identified the party affilation of Solomon Nwoche. Nwoche is registered with The Independent Campaign for Common Sense.

The post ASUC Election 2013 results: CalSERVE takes 3 of 4 partisan executive seats appeared first on The Daily Californian.

To the members of the UC Berkeley community:

In the wake of the ASUC Senate’s passage of SB 160, “A Bill In Support of Human Rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” I want to offer some thoughts about how we can move forward as a campus community. I also want to acknowledge that this may be the first step in a process that could, among other things, include consideration of other proposed bills that support Israeli-Palestinian cooperation.

As you all know, the ASUC is an independent student organization, and its vote in this matter will not change investment policy established by the Regents of the University of California. In addition, it is my personal opinion that targeting a single nation or state in this highly complex world is not appropriate and does little to advance the cause of peace and coexistence. Ultimately, we believe that engaging in dialogue on these difficult issues is the best hope that we have for achieving peace. It is the path that we hope world leaders will follow and our students will emulate.

This, of course, is not the first time that the Israeli divestment issue has arisen on this campus and I sincerely hope that we can avoid the rancor and divisiveness that arose in the wake of a previous ASUC vote in 2010, even as we support every student’s right to freedom of expression and acknowledge the diversity of views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  As Chancellor, a pillar of my vision for UC Berkeley has been to create a campus where equity and inclusion are fundamental values that sustain our principles of community and allow freedom of expression to occur through civilized and informed debate.

At the same time, all of our students must feel that the campus is a safe and inclusive environment for them, one in which they have the freedom to express their views without fear of intimidation. In fact, UCPD has informed me of its investigation into a recent incident on Sproul Plaza in which, according to preliminary eyewitness accounts, a Berkeley student handing out pro-divestment flyers was struck in the face. I am deeply concerned by these initial reports and must state in no uncertain terms that this behavior is unacceptable in our community.  We will take firm steps to bring perpetrators of such acts to justice. Our Principles of Community require that debate on our campus–even debate over emotional and important issues such as these–remain civil and respectful.

I and members of my administration will continue to work hard to build and sustain the sort of campus climate that I believe we all benefit from. We will also continue to support efforts like The Olive Tree Initiative, a student-led endeavor that is fostering dialogue and discussion here on campus and in the Middle East. Above all, we hope and expect that the ongoing discussion and dialogue about the conflicts in the Middle East will happen in a manner that respects and acknowledges the views and beliefs of others.

Sincerely,
Robert J. Birgeneau

Curan Mehra is the executive news editor. Contact him at cmehra@dailycal.org.

The post Chancellor Birgeneau issues response to ASUC vote on divestment appeared first on The Daily Californian.

The decision comes after the referendums were submitted too late for the ASUC Senate to vote to place them on the ballot by the filing deadline last Tuesday.

“After much thought and deliberation over the last few days, and several very sleepless nights, I’ve decided the best course of action is for me to issue these executive orders to place both referenda on the Spring 2013 ASUC Ballot,” Landgraf said in an email to the ASUC Senate.

Pursuant to the ASUC Constitution, executive orders are intended to direct the “taking of actions which are urgent and necessary to maintain the functioning of the ASUC until the Senate can again meet.”

The Class Pass Referendum would extend the campus’s contract with AC Transit for the next seven years. Students stand to lose unlimited access to AC Transit campus shuttles, including the night safety shuttle, if the measure is not approved.

If passed, the Health and Wellness Referendum would impose a $40 fee on students to finance a Wellness Center as well as the construction of a Memorial Stadium Fitness Center.

Read the full text of the executive orders below.

//

ExecutiveOrder1 (PDF)

ExecutiveOrder1 (Text)

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ExecutiveOrder2 (PDF)

ExecutiveOrder2 (Text)

Curan Mehra is the executive news editor. Contact him at cmehra@dailycal.org.

Clarification(s):
A previous version of this article may have implied that it was the ASUC Senate’s fault that the Class Pass and the Health and Wellness referendums were not voted in time for the filing deadline. In fact, the referendums were submitted too late for the senate to meet the filing deadline.

The post ASUC President Connor Landgraf issues executive order to place referendums on ballot appeared first on The Daily Californian.

President

• Jason Bellet, SQUELCH!
• David Ramirez Douglass, Defend Affirmative Action Party
• Rafi Lurie, Student Action
• DeeJay Pepito, CalSERVE
• Raman “The Dictator” Veerappan, Independent

Executive Vice President

• Nolan Pack, CalSERVE
• Chen-Chen Huo, Student Action

External Affairs Vice President

• Pedro Hernandez, Defend Affirmative Action Party
• Safeena Leila Mecklai, Student Action
• Spencer Pritchard, CalSERVE

Academic Affairs Vice President

• Christina Hamilton, Defend Affirmative Action Party
• Valerie Jameson, CalSERVE
• Ryan Kang, Student Action

Student Advocate

• Kyle McCoy “Student Power,” Independent
• Timofey Semenov, Independent

Senate

CalSERVE

• Beatriz Barron
• Briana Mullen
• Jenny Lu
• Stefan Elgstrand
• Caitlin Quinn
• Doug Taylor
• Sean Tan
• Wendy Pacheco
• Taylor Fugere
• Brett Bruhanski
• Monica Ruiz
• Laura Li
• Justin Kong
• Vy Hoang
• Sevly Snguon
• Destiny Iwuoma

Cooperative Movement Party

• Evan Bell

Defend Affirmative Action Party

• Andres Hernandez
• Mitzi Perez
• Mengqian Liu
• Aillen Zazueta-Bella
• Mary McLellan
• Pedro Hernandez
• Luis Sanchez
• Jorge Antonio Loera
• Christina Delgado
• Laura Forastiere
• Isela Luna
• Christina Hamilton
• Brenda Ibarra
• David Ramirez Douglass
• Bryanna Atwater
• Martha Montoya
• Sebastian Cano
• Ching Cheng (John)

Student Action

• Nicolas “NIC” Jaber
• Quinn Z. Shen
• Courtney Chow
• Pavan Upadhyayula
• Andrew Newbill
• Karen Lee
• Jacob Mansour
• Kayon Brantley
• Katherine Chung
• Eric Wu
• Norvan Berkezyan
• Haley Lee
• Kyle Shackleford
• Henry Grunzweig
• James Chi
• Liza Raffi
• Sahil Pandya
• Lauren Ashley Week

SQUELCH!

• Roxanne “Rox ur Sox” Rahnama
• Sucheta Salgaonkar
• Sarah “Let There Be” Light
• Grant “Is a Hella” Fineman
• Natasha “Nacho Mama’s Clam” Chowdry
• Emily “Chillax” Truax
• Mark “The Spark” Iskarous

Curan Mehra is the executive news editor. Contact him at cmehra@dailycal.org.

The post Candidates for ASUC elections finalized appeared first on The Daily Californian.

In the letter addressed to members of the UC SHIP Advisory Board and the UC SHIP Executive Committee, Birgeneau said he agreed with the vast majority of students in believing that UC SHIP should comply with how benefit caps are dealt with in the Affordable Care Act.

The UC SHIP Advisory Board met on Monday to discuss lifting coverage caps, but refrained from making a decision until they had heard more from student groups.

Read the full text of Birgeneau’s letter below.

Curan Mehra is the executive news editor. Contact him at cmehra@dailycal.org.

The post Chancellor Birgeneau calls for removal of coverage caps in UC SHIP appeared first on The Daily Californian.

10:48 a.m.

And, that’s a wrap. The UC Regents have adjourned their meeting.

10:47 a.m.

The regents move to adopt the criteria for the selection of the next UC President.

10:45 a.m.

President Mark Yudof is delivering his address, noting the various awards UC faculty have recently won.

10:42 a.m.

Without any questions, the regents bring the Committee on Compliance and Audit to an end. The regents will close out the day with a general meeting of the board.

10:29 a.m.

“Social media can be very viral and negative for our organization…We have to be even more responsive and expedient” #UCRegents

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 14, 2013

10:26 a.m.

“Every given year that we add a freshman class, about 20% of those students are younger than 18, minors” discussing risk of minors for #UC

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 14, 2013

10:24 a.m.

Speaker says UC is trying to move from reactive responses to risks to proactive and preventative action, such as promoting ethical conduct

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 14, 2013

10:14 a.m.

The board moves on to the next item: Ethics and Compliance Annual Board Education.

10:07 a.m.

After the conclusion of presentations from various lab representatives, the regents move on to the Committee on Compliance and Audit.

9:34 a.m.

Committee on Finance ends, moving on to the Committee on Oversight of DOE labs.

9:33 a.m.

I think students will win this one. My best guess — UC will agree to drop the caps in the coming months.

— UC Student Regent (@UCStudentRegent) March 14, 2013

9:32 a.m.

Back at Regents meeting today @ UCSF. Students at public comment called for elimination of lifetime caps in UC student health insurance.

— UC Student Regent (@UCStudentRegent) March 14, 2013

9:19 a.m.

Regents approve temporary surcharge on students. Now moving on to discuss benchmarks for financial metrics.

9:12 a.m.

UC President Mark Yudof notes that wherever the cost of the lawsuit is pulled out of the University of California, students will pay either directly or indirectly.

9:08 a.m.

“I think we’ve handled the situation very poorly to be honest,” said UC Student Regent Jonathan Stein registering his opposition to the surcharge.

9:06 a.m.

And, moving through quickly the regents complete the Committee on Compensation to move to the COmmittee on Finance.

9:00 a.m.

Public comment comes to a close. The regents move on to the Committee on Compensation.

9:00 a.m.

UC Berkeley sophomore says UC is a leader in sustainability, asks to put fossil fuel divestment on UC Regents May meeting agenda.

ASUC Senator Nolan Pack speaks about ASUC’s recent decision to divest from fossil fuels.

8:53 a.m.

Johnson,who has worked for UC for over twenty years, says, “When I came here it was about patient care it wasn’t about dollars…”#UCRegents

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 14, 2013

8:49 a.m.

President of AFSCME 3299 Kathryn Lybarger speaking about report that alleges patient neglect at UC medical centers.

8:46 a.m.

CalSERVE senator @nolanpack is present at #UCRegents meeting, appears to be waiting to speak in public comment

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 14, 2013

8:43 a.m.

Students wear shirts that read, “We > Fossil Fuels,” will speak in public comment urging UC divestment in fossil fuel companies #UCRegents

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 14, 2013

8:40 a.m.

UCB student shares stories about how UC Ship has affected UC students — anonymous students struggling with minimal health coverage, he says

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 14, 2013

8:40 a.m.

Twenty seven individuals have signed up to participate in today’s public comment session.

8:38. a.m.

UC Regent Chairperson Sherry Lansing calls the meeting the order and begins the public comment session.

Curan Mehra is the executive news editor. Contact him at cmehra@dailycal.org.

The post Live Blog: UC Regents conclude March meeting appeared first on The Daily Californian.

4:20 p.m.

March’s meeting of the #UCRegents has recessed for the day. Tune in tomorrow for the remainder of the meeting.

— Jacob Brown (@jacobebrown) March 13, 2013

3:18 p.m.

Executive Vice President of Business Operations Nathan Brostrom and Chief Financial Officer Peter Taylor update the Committee of Audit and Compliance on the UCPATH Initiative.

11:38 a.m.

The regents will now meet in closed session until this afternoon’s open meeting of the Committee on Audit and Compliance.

11:35 a.m.

#OnwardCA campaign hopes to illustrate all the ways UC affects Californian’s everyday to garner increased private support. #UCRegents

— Alex (@berryhill93) March 13, 2013

11:28 a.m.

Onward California videos can be found on YouTube at tinyurl.com/c3bevgg. #UCRegents

— Jacob Brown (@jacobebrown) March 13, 2013

11:24 a.m.

UC to promote private donations with new promotional videos from #OnwardCA. #UCRegents

— Jacob Brown (@jacobebrown) March 13, 2013

11:22 a.m.

#OnwardCA‘s video on UC researchers being presented at #UCRegents meeting

— Alex (@berryhill93) March 13, 2013

11:21 a.m.

#UCRegents hear a presentation from UC Berkeley professor Catherine Cole on the Fiat Lux Project

— Jacob Brown (@jacobebrown) March 13, 2013

11:02 a.m.

Regents now moving to hear presentations of faculty of research.

11:01 a.m.

Student Regents are supportive. We’ve asked UC to think creatively about bringing new $ to UC (instead ofstudent tuition) for long time.

— UC Student Regent (@UCStudentRegent) March 13, 2013

11:00 a.m.

Board of Regents chuckles at different ideas for gaining social media’s support, like wearing rainbow wigs at the next meeting. #UCRegents

— Alex (@berryhill93) March 13, 2013

10:57 a.m.

Gov. Brown jokes that he will do a duet for the social media initiative.#UCregents

— Alex (@berryhill93) March 13, 2013

10:56 a.m.

UC can’t rely on the state, said Lansing. Social media initiative is part of UCs efforts to find financial stability. #UCRegents

— Alex (@berryhill93) March 13, 2013

10:53 a.m.

The program is expected to launch on Oct. 1 2013, according to Senior Vice President Daniel Dooley.

10:52 a.m.

The platform will be UC owned. Will be re-purposable for individual UC campuses. #UCregents

— Jacob Brown (@jacobebrown) March 13, 2013

10:51 a.m.

“Steve Wozniak could agree to use a PC instead of a Mac for a month if his friends help him raise 50,000 for the university” #UCregents

— Jacob Brown (@jacobebrown) March 13, 2013

10:51 a.m.

Students would make promises (dye hair, ride a bike long distance) to raise money from friends for the UC. #UCRegents

— Jacob Brown (@jacobebrown) March 13, 2013

10:46 a.m.

The program will seek to engage young alumni and students through social media in order to encourage them to help raise money for the scholarships at the UC. The UC will be working with the Entertainment Industry Foundation that will assist in seeking out celebrity support and corporate sponsors.

10:44 a.m.

The meeting recovenes. The faculty presenters have yet to arrive, so the committee will move to discuss systemwide social fundraising.

10:23 a.m.

The Committee on Finance concludes. Awaiting the arrival of the next presenters, the regents will take a short break.

10:16 a.m.

Working Smarter has focused particularly on lab safety, success is “something to pop champagne on,” said Brostrom #UCRegents

— Alex (@berryhill93) March 13, 2013

10:15 a.m.

Campuses enthusiastic for Working Smarter, “Give us the tools, and we will drive the value,” said Brostrom of campus’ attitudes. #UCRegents

— Alex (@berryhill93) March 13, 2013

10:07 a.m.

#UCRegents agenda: “Working Smarter is…collaborating today with its sister systemwide efficiency initiative at the CSU system, Synergy”

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 13, 2013

10:05 a.m.

There are 34 Working Smarter projects underway. Most of the savings have come from Enterprise Risk Management – $150 million in two years.

10:00 a.m.

Here’s the agenda item with details on the Working Smarter initiative.

9:58 a.m.

Regents discuss Working Smarter Initiative, five year committment to steamline operation and build sustainable financial model#UCRegents

— Alex (@berryhill93) March 13, 2013

9:56 a.m.

Morales completes her speech and without questions, the regents move on to the Committee on Finance.

9:55 a.m.

On online education, Morales says students support a hybrid model in which online learning supplements an in-class education.

9:54 a.m.

Students are concerned about #UCShip deficit, says Morales. Requests that #UCOP pays for deficit with emergency or discretionary funds

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 13, 2013

9:53 a.m.

Morales begins discussing UC SHIP and asks the regents to lift the lifetime caps on coverage.

“These caps do not reflect the values of our university and should be lifted immediately,” she said.

9:52 a.m.

Morales says @_ucsa is against Governor Brown’s proposed unit cap #UCRegents meeting

— Libby Rainey (@rainey_l) March 13, 2013

9:51 a.m.

Morales calls for increased state funding to UC and a tuition freeze for both undergraduate and graduate students.

9:50 a.m.

UC Student Association President Raquel Morales begins addressing the regents. She will discuss student concerns including issues regarding UC SHIP.

9:49 a.m.

UCLA project funded by gifts raised by campus and will advance funds from the medical center #UCRegents

— Alex (@berryhill93) March 13, 2013

9:48 a.m.

The regents approve the construction of the center.

9:41 a.m.

Currently, the regents are looking over design plans for the Teaching and Learning Center. Below is a rendering of what the building will look like.

9:36 a.m.

The motion to approve the budget is carried. The regents will now discuss the construction of the Teaching and Learning Center for Health Sciences at UCLA.

9:34 a.m.

The regents move to approve the preliminary funding for the San Joaquin apartments. Now moving onto the approval of the budget for the Sierra Madre apartments also at the Santa Barbara campus.

9:31 a.m.

Like UC Merced, UC Santa Barbara will use the facilities to support it’s growing student body. The campus has been working toward developing community support from a number of parties including environmental groups

9:27 a.m.

The UC Regents moves on to the request for funding for the preliminary plans for the San Joaquin apartments on the UC Santa Barbara campus.

9:27 a.m.

Hello from the Regents meeting @ UCSF. I will provide occasional updates at facebook.com/UCStudentRegent. Nothing majorly controversial on agenda.

— UC Student Regent (@UCStudentRegent) March 13, 2013

9:24 a.m.

Regents ask UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland to check in regularly on the future of the plan.

9:16 a.m.

The current #UCMerced development plan can be found at tinyurl.com/avog92b. #UCRegents

— Jacob Brown (@jacobebrown) March 13, 2013

9:13 a.m.

Chancellor Leland notes the intense collaborate effort that went on between the campus and the university in developing this plan.

9:13 a.m.

#UCMerced growing at more than 500 students per year and unless facilities are built, enrollment could flatline. #UCRegents

— Jacob Brown (@jacobebrown) March 13, 2013

9:12 a.m.

UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland speaking about growing the campus’ capacity by improving and expanding facilities.

9:07 a.m.

The meeting of the Committee on Grounds and Buildings has started.

9:01 a.m.

Public comment comes to a close and Sherry Lansing recognizes Bob Powell, Chair of the Academic Senate.

8:48 a.m.

Yudof concludes his remarks and the public comment session begins.

8:42 a.m.

UC President Mark Yudof makes a few comments on the a number of issues including ongoing plans at UC Merced as well as his concerns regarding the UC SHIP deficit.

8:40 a.m.

The search committee to select the next UC president has met twice already according to Lansing. Lansing said interested parties to universityofcalifornia.edu where they can take part in the process.

8:29 a.m.

Chairperson Sherry Lansing calls the UC Regents meeting to order.

Curan Mehra is the executive news editor. Contact him at cmehra@dailycal.org.

The post Live Blog: UC Regents begin two-day meeting appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Lead academics and administration reporter Shirin Ghaffary is reporting from the field. 

March for public education officially over. UC Berkeley students on the bus home. #marchinmarch twitter.com/sheesnaps/stat…

— Shirin(@sheesnaps) March 4, 2013

12:30 a.m.

Students crowd around the the state capitol building.

12:26 a.m.

Buses returning to Berkeley will leave at 1 p.m. as the day of demonstration comes to an end.

12:23 a.m.

Today students from all over California march on Sacramento to keep our education public! #SLC2013

— ASUC Executive VP (@ASUCExecutiveVP) March 4, 2013

11:50 a.m.

The rally has officially come to a close. As planned, the UCSA will now hold breakout sessions with state legislators.

11:47 a.m.

Harry Potter references are alive and well at the rally.

“death eaters for a 90 unit cap” #MarchOnMarch

— Safeena Leila (@safeenaleila) March 4, 2013

11:42 a.m.

“I came here today because even though I’m about to graduate funding for public education is still going to impact my younger brother and cousin,” said UC Berkeley senior Hannah Bennet, a participant in the rally.

11:37 a.m.

“We must educate and not incarcerate,” said ACLU legislative advocate Tiffany Mok. “In the past 20 years we’ve built twelve new prisons and one new UC.”

11:31 a.m.

State Senator Noreen Evans D-Santa Rosa spoke about her recently proposed legislation that would fund increases in state appropriations to higher education with a severance tax on oil producers. Her proposal garnered cheers from the crowd.

11:25 a.m.

A number of ASUC representatives are participating in today’s rally including Student Action Senator Safeena Mecklai.

“Our collective voice will be heard!” #MarchOnMarch

— Safeena Leila (@safeenaleila) March 4, 2013

11:21 a.m.

The speakers at the rally will include California State Senator Noreen Evans D-Santa Rosa, UCSA President Raquel Morales, Student Senate of California Community Colleges Senator Daniel Clark, Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the California State Student Association Pedro Ramirez and Tiffany Mok, a legislative advocate with the ACLU.

11:13 a.m.

Student leaders are declaring that education should be affordable and accessible to all. #MarchOnMarch twitter.com/CAcollegedems/…

— CA College Dems (@CAcollegedems) March 4, 2013

10:50 a.m. Protestors have arrived at the capitol building. 10:34 a.m.

“We’re students united, we will not be divided!” #MarchOnMarch #FundTheUC twitter.com/nicholaskitche…

— Nicholas Kitchel (@nicholaskitchel) March 4, 2013

10:29 a.m.

Over 1,000 students with signs have begun to march in Sacramento.

Curan Mehra is the executive news editor. Contact him at cmehra@dailycal.org.

The post Live Blog: UC Berkeley students rally for higher education in Sacramento appeared first on The Daily Californian.