highered defunding, the future of work

Don't skip over the NYT links in Chris Newfield's recent posts on taxation and higher ed financing in California. They are more than just props. The Squeezed Middle and its tale of workplace changes are our story. 


In case you may be foolish enough to think that's not where you are: remember and respect the saying about the state as bellwether. Consider both posts and NYT articles as background reading for talking about higher ed policies and how to change trends. 

Keeping up with California, #futureof HE

... in many senses of the word and, over the years, in different ways, from the California Master Plan to its meltdown. Michael Meranze's Links for April 18, 2012 from Reclaiming the University,  (even if does seem sometimes like a link farm around here)

Chris Newfield has a new piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education: "How Unequal State Support Diminishes Degree Attainment" 

 

CSU faculty, librarians, and counselors begin voting on rolling strike

UC Davis Police Chief Spicuzza retires effective Thursday.

UC admitted over 40% more out of state and international students in next year's entering class. 

CSU may eliminate cash grants that help support up to half of its grad students. 

David Crane's students think that the state should make UC go private. 

Is UC Berkeley going to have to cover millions of dollars of losses on the new football stadium? 

Berkeley joins with venture capitalists, University of Michigan, and ivy league institution in new online start-up.

Whither U: Education in the Time of a 2-tiered System

These tiers are not about tenure (for a change) but not unrelated: the reference is to the increasingly tiered economy, global and domestic and its implications for higher ed. 

Posts in progress, "year of the dangerous meme" and "grow your own" are in drafts. Not the usual ~ after all there are so many calls in so many disciplines and Penn to meet your notification needs, but I have a call to post, plus personal but education related notes on experimental open online courses I am taking, a busman's holiday but covering developments that could change higher ed as we know it. MOOCs may not have that MLA cachet but they make Digital Humanities and HASTAC look retro. 

There's NFM news too, a few items not in time to make the Newsletter, which should be appearing in a few days. I'm one of the BoD you'll meet in this issue's "Meet the NFM Board" feature. Eventually, you'll meet all of us. In the meantime, catch up on back issues in the Newsletter Archives while you are waiting. Otherwise, as a former student at the American University at Cairo, I am consumed with following #Egypt. Back to the newsfeeds...

The Rise of the New Global Elite

Chrystia Freeland, The Atlantic, February 2, 2011.

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This is going to have to be fixed before education is fixed. Because education can't fix this: 

AAUP Action Alert: Keep Our Educators Working

I can't say for sure just how much this particular campaign addresses adjunct and contingent faculty issues. Read the AAUP and decide for yourself. If you think it is lacking, write the AAUP and let them know. Some time back there was word in adcon circles about a letter writing campaign asking for equity language in the higher funding bill. Haven't heard any lately, but would it hurt to ask? 

Needless to say, if you prefer emailing to telephoning, you can adapt the phone script in the Government Relations section - or write your own script for phone or email. Put an ad/con spin on your appeal.

As the economic crisis continues to threaten all of our nation's institutions, the AAUP is the ONLY national faculty organization pushing to restore funding for higher education faculty and staff in the upcoming federal supplemental appropriations bill. As Congress prepares to vote, we ask that you join other advocates of higher education in contacting your Representative and encouraging him or her to stop this round of massive layoffs in higher education, to stop the increase in class sizes, to stop the reductions in course offerings, and to vote to preserve quality higher education in our nation. In an open letter to Congress, AAUP general secretary Gary Rhoades details how a failure to invest in postsecondary educators could close the doors of opportunity on our students, would compromise our potential as a nation, and could sabotage the combined efforts of community, industry, and the government to recover from this economic downturn. Visit the Government Relations section of the AAUP Web site to learn more about how you can stand up for postsecondary faculty and staff.

The AAUP Online is an electronic newsletter of the American Association of University Professors.  Learn more about the AAUP. Visit us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Contact us at govtrelations@aaup.org.

Then if you're still in advocacy mode and have all those addresses handy, write and put in a word for extending unemployment and revising federal codes to safeguard adjunct and contingent faculty unemployment rights