stand against the ban
The AAUP strongly opposes Donald Trump's unconstitutional and discriminatory ban on entry into the United States for people from certain Muslim-majority countries.
Large numbers of our students and faculty members are affected by the administration's ill-considered executive order, which violates so many American traditions and beliefs. We fear that the abuse of power we are witnessing will wreak havoc on our institutions of higher education.
Add your name in solidarity against the ban.
Over one million foreign students enrolled in US colleges in 2016, representing a seven percent increase over 2015. They are an important part of our academic communities and should not face this kind of discrimination.
We believe in an America that openly embraces the world with confidence, not one that seeks to hide behind walls and religious bans. We are witnessing a dangerous attempt to expand the executive powers of the president through the misuse of executive orders and to impose an inappropriate worldview on a democratic nation.
Since the announcement of the ban -- issued, ironically, on Holocaust Remembrance Day -- many thousands of students, educators, and citizens have spoken out against it. We will work with our allies, members, and leaders across the country to expose and resist discrimination on the basis of national origin, religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability, and to fight for equitable and welcoming educational environments, requisites for a democratic society.
The AAUP is committed to supporting academic freedom and broader rights to free expression in a world of alternative facts where both higher education and the search for truth are under attack.
We call on faculty, students, and all citizens to remain engaged in the struggle for justice on every campus and in every community. We call on all reasonable politicians to oppose this administration's discriminatory order.
Stand against discrimination. Sign your name in opposition to the ban.
Rudy Fichtenbaum,
AAUP President
The $48 Fix: Reclaiming California's Master Plan
BY HANK REICHMAN
Privatization has failed. But a tuition-free college education in California is possible.
That was the message this morning at a press conference in Berkeley introducing a new policy paper demonstrating how it is entirely feasible to provide today's students with the same accessible low-cost university experience that California successfully offered its students from the 1960s through the 1990s.
The 30-page report, "The $48 fix: Reclaiming California's Master Plan for Higher Education," argues that "the 1960 Master Plan treated education as a public good, provided at low-cost or no-cost to all California students, yielding a wider social and economic benefit. But since 2000, higher education has been treated as a commodity to be sold to consumers for their private gain." The report shows that
Between 2001 and 2016, $57 billion (in real dollars) has been withheld from California's public higher education sector. By 2016, the state was spending 39 percent less per university student than fifteen years before.
At the same time, the three segments increased student charges dramatically. Tuition and mandatory fees have risen nearly 150 percent at UC and nearly 170 percent at the CSU. They have more than tripled at community colleges.
Coincident with the state's privatization experiment, student debt at California's public universities has exploded. In 2015, more than half of UC and CSU seniors graduated with more than a diploma: they also carried $1.3 billion in student debt. Total debt accumulated by the state's public university students since 2004: $12 billion.
However, the paper concludes, "There are solutions.
It is commonly, but mistakenly, presumed that returning to California's Master Plan for Higher Education would cost too much, putting the best solution out of political reach.
This presumption has led to policy changes and recommendations for the future which, if adopted, will only speed the deterioration of California's higher education system.
The fact is, better options—reasonable, doable and affordable—are available to practical-minded leaders of today. The funding can be found right here in California."
The report demonstrates that tuition could be eliminated at the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) and per-student funding restored to its 2000-01 level through an income surtax of no more than $48/year for the median California taxpayer, less if other sources of revenue are employed. That's about the cost of a tank of gas.
"The two-decade experiment in privatizing public higher education in California has failed," says Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco; president of the Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA), an AAUP partner organization; and a co-author of the paper. "But it doesn't have to be that way. The original idea for a publicly funded system is still the best idea, and it can work if we make the commitment."
Speaking at the press conference were Glantz; Jennifer Eagan, professor of philosophy and public administration at California State University, East Bay, and president of the AAUP-affiliated California Faculty Association (CFA); Ralph Washington, Jr., president, UC Student Association and doctoral student at UC Davis; and Rich Hansen, professor of Mathematics, De Anza College, president, Foothill-DeAnza Faculty Association, and past president, California Community College Independents.
The report, sponsored by the Reclaim California Higher Education coalition, comes on the heels of another recent report by the CFA, "Equity, Interrupted," which documented how "as the number of students of color has increased, public funding for the CSU has decreased." That report demonstrated how
The CSU had over 150,000 MORE students (full-time equivalent) in 2015 than it had in 1985 for a student body increase of 64% over those 30 years.
But the CSU budget has not grown at the same rate. In fact, the CSU funding from the state actually declined by 2.9% in real dollars over those 30 years.
"In other words," the CFA report concluded, "if the CSU today had resources (state funding plus tuition) comparable to 1985, it would have more than $773 million extra dollars in its operating budget to serve today's students. From these facts alone, it is impossible to escape the conclusion that today's more diverse students are being shortchanged."
"This is why 3 out of 4 of our CSU students work more than 20 hours a week." Professor Eagan told this morning's press conference. "And this is why in 2015 nearly 42,000 CSU seniors who had student loans carried more than three-quarters of a billion dollars in debt when they graduated. All this is why the call to return to the California Master Plan for Higher Education is so important."
"It is counterproductive for California to insist that the public good of higher education must be financed by individual students and their families," Eagan added. "We need to go back to the Master Plan and figure out how we all can support public higher education for the future of the state. We need to talk about long term and sustainable ways to fund higher education in California, and "The 48 Dollar Fix" proposes a concrete, fair, and realistic solution."
"We often discuss the cost of tuition in a way that implies that education is a commodity. As though we have forgotten that education is a public good," added Ralph Washington, the UC student association president. "It has intrinsic value that improves society."
"If we want to invest in the future of our society, we must invest in the future of all its members," Washington continued. "The best way to do that is through education, and education doesn't stop at K-12. We need to reclaim the Master Plan for Higher Education."
In his remarks Professor Hansen pointed out that "since 2000, the promise of a smooth pipeline for students to flow from the community colleges to the CSU or the UC has been diverted." Although the state has begun to restore funding cuts to the community colleges, Hansen acknowledged, "the faucet remains constricted when these students look to transfer to CSU and UC,. The cost remains prohibitive. The proposal we are discussing here is designed to restore funding to CSU and UC to improve both access and affordability."
"The $48 fix" has been endorsed by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)—California Conference; AFSCME Local 3299; AFSCME – Union of American Physicians and Dentists; California Community College Independents; California Faculty Association; California Nurses Association; Courage Campaign; California Part Time Faculty Association; California State University Employees Union – SEIU Local 2579; Council of University of California Faculty Associations; Californians United for a Responsible Budget; Faculty Association for California Community Colleges; Student Senate for California Community Colleges; Teamsters Local 2010; United Auto Workers Locals 2865, 4123, 5810; University of California Student Association; University Professional and Technical Employees – CWA Local 9119.
In addition to Glantz, the working group that prepared the report included Hansen; Christopher Newfield, author of The Great Mistake: How We Wrecked Public Universities and How We Can Fix Them, past chair of the UC Systemwide Committee on Planning and Budget, and a Professor of English at UC Santa Barbara; Jonathan Polansky, Principal, Onbeyond LLC; Eric Hays, Executive Director of CUCFA; and Amy Hines-Shaikh, Director of the Reclaim CA Higher Education coalition and the Higher Education Director at University Professional and Technical Employees.
"We are not talking about going to Mars. We are not even talking about doing something that hasn't been done before," Professor Glantz said. "The California Master Plan for Higher Education worked for decades. And it is time to put it back in place. When we have raised that idea in Sacramento, it has been dismissed as too expensive. That is wrong. We've worked out the numbers and this idea is eminently affordable."
Tomorrow Professor Glantz, accompanied by UC student leaders, will present the report to the UC Board of Regents. Next week, CFA and others will be urging the CSU Board of Trustees to also address its concerns. Glantz, Eagan, Hansen and I will also introduce "The $48 fix" to educators nationwide in a session at the annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in San Francisco on Thursday. Also on Thursday representatives of the endorsing groups will be distributing printed copies of the report to members of the California Legislature.
While the report is specific to California, there is good reason to think that similar solutions will be both realistic and affordable in other states, if only the political will can be mustered. California's Master Plan was for decades a model for the 49 other states. Reclaiming it can and should be a model as well.
The report concludes:
California's two-decade experiment in privatizing higher education has failed, as it has failed in the rest of the country. Top-quality, accessible and appropriate higher education that affords opportunity to all California students has been replaced with a system that restricts access, costs students more and compromises educational quality. Exploding student debt constricts students' futures and harms the economy as a whole. It is entirely feasible to reinstate California's proven success in public higher education. Several reasonable funding options can be mixed and matched to make the costs remarkably low for almost all California families. Our state has the means and the opportunity. Will we recover our political will and vision?
Once again, to access the report go to http://www.reclaimcahighered.org/48dollars
And to watch the January 24, 2017 press conference on Facebook go to https://www.facebook.com/reclaimcahighereducation
SF City College stays open, 'accreditation nightmare is over'
January 13, 2017 Updated: January 13, 2017 6:22pm
SACRAMENTO — City College of San Francisco will stay in business and its five-year fight to remain accredited is over, college officials learned Friday.
The private commission that threatened to revoke the school's accreditation — stunning the college by declaring it so poorly run that it should be shut down — delighted administrators Friday with news that it had voted to extend the school's all-important seal of approval for a full term of seven years.
"I feel great. City College's accreditation nightmare is over," said Rafael Mandelman, president of the college's Board of Trustees.
City College Chancellor Susan Lamb announced the commission's decision to students and employees in a triumphant email that capped an exhausting, years-long period of nail-biting in which the threat of closure cost the public millions of dollars in legal fees and state subsidies, led the city into court to defend its namesake college, and sent hundreds of faculty members and students to demonstrate in defense of their beloved school.
"This confirmation is a major accomplishment. It is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire City College community who came together to meet — and even exceed — the standards of our accreditors. Congratulations!" Lamb wrote.
Controversial head of CCSF accrediting group on leave
CCSF can't prove it taught 16,000 students, must pay $39
Bouchra Simmons, the student member of the college's Board of Trustees, said: "I am beyond excited, happy, and relieved that City College is going to stay open. City College is here to serve everyone that needs it. It's a school of possibilities in life."
California Community College Chancellor Eloy Oakley called the announcement "a new beginning for City College of San Francisco and its students," and said the college has been strengthened by "years of institutional improvement."
The 19 members of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges made the decision behind closed doors during their semiannual, three-day meeting at a capital hotel this week, as they also considered accreditation questions for 33 other colleges from the region it covers: California, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
Mandelman said he was highly encouraged about City College's prospects after he and Lamb made their case to the commission on Thursday afternoon.
Relying on an extensive self-evaluation report, Lamb and Mandelman hoped to show that City College has satisfied all 14 accrediting standards and numerous substandards in full — concerning fiscal management, campus decision-making, technology, library services and more. Failure would mean the commission could revoke the school's accreditation and prohibit any appeal.
In 2012, City College — considered one of the largest colleges in the country with a reported 90,000 students — received the most severe sanction, "show cause," requiring it to show why it should remain accredited and not be shut down. Only one California community college has had its accreditation revoked: Compton College, near Los Angeles, which closed in 2005.
Over the years, the commission had argued that City College's governance and fiscal management problems were so severe that it had no choice but to vote to revoke accreditation. Financial planning was in disarray and officials were unable to make accurate financial projections, independent audits found. Nor could the college reconcile its revenue and spending with the number of students enrolled and their academic needs, among other problems.
But the promised revocation of the college's accreditation was repeatedly held at bay. A legal challenge from San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera bought the school more time in 2014. Then, a 2015 deal with the college gave it two more years — until now — to fully comply with all accrediting standards.
On Thursday, college officials persuaded the commission that City College is now able to accurately forecast and monitor its budgets, a basic yet critical task for running a college.
Today, their report promises, City College "annually updates its multi-year financial projections" as required, has rebuilt its financial reserves and has "placed a high priority" on funding long-term obligations like retiree health costs.
The famously secretive and by-the-books commission had indicated through a spokeswoman earlier this week that it would sit on its verdict for up to 30 days and disclose it only when it announced accrediting decisions for the other 33 schools. But the fact that it revealed the news right away indicates that the once hard-nosed commission also has been transformed by its battle with City College.
State college officials initially supported the commission's crackdown on City College. But as the commission revealed that its intention was less about helping the college improve and more about shutting it down, state officials began to share the alarm shown all along by college faculty. Soon the commission was the subject of two lawsuits, a state audit and a reprimand from the U.S. Department of Education, which oversees it.
Today, only five of the original 19 commissioners who sought to revoke the college's accreditation remain on the panel. Also gone is the influential president of the agency, Barbara Beno, who strongly supported revoking the school's accreditation. She was placed on administrative leave in December for undisclosed reasons.
Faculty, who for five years battled Beno and the commission in court and on the streets, are ecstatic at the news.
"All of us at the college are so excited and relieved that the accreditation crisis is over," said Tim Killikelly, president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121, which represents faculty.
In a reference to the enrollment decline of nearly 30,000 full- and part-time students since the crisis began — a crisis in itself that is costing the college millions of dollars in state funding — Killikelly said: "Sign up and take a class!"
Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
Go to http://www.sfchronicle.com/ccsf/ for full coverage
aaup co-sponsored events during inauguration week
A Message from Gwen Bradley, Director of External Relations for AAUP
As we look toward a new presidential administration that promises to be challenging, I'm writing to chapter and conference leaders to make you aware of a couple of events that the AAUP is cosponsoring next week around the inauguration.
Campus Sanctuary Day of Action (January 19)
We are joining allies across the country in promoting a day of action January 19 urging college and university administrators to establish public spaces of resistance and protection for our most vulnerable students. The AAUP supports the campus sanctuary movement because we value both the free exchange of ideas and the safety of all those who wish to engage with them.
We'll be sending information and a guide to members who signed up to receive updates on the campus sanctuary movement; if you would like to sign up for these updates, please do so at https://actionnetwork.org/forms/be-part-of-the-sanctuary-campus-movement
Women's March on Washington (January 21)
We are also a partner with the Women's March on Washington, which will occur January 21 in Washington, DC, with sister marches across the country.
People from diverse communities across the country will gather to send a message to the incoming President and Congress on their first day in office: women's rights are human rights. We will join citizens, activists, civil society organizations, workers, and educators marching for equality and social justice and against hate and division.
Rutgers AAUP-AFT is sending down members in several buses to march and participate. We know many staff and other member leaders will also be in attendance. Please send us a heads-up if you and your chapter or conference plan to participate (lmarkwardt@aaup.org). Also be sure to share photos or video of your participation with our communications department and use hashtags #WhyIMarch #WomensMarch and tag @AAUP.
More information is at www.womensmarch.com.
Gwen Bradley
gbradley@aaup.org