University Business - June 2008 - (Page 16)

BEHIND the NEWS California Students Take the Lead in Protesting Funding Cuts HIGHER ED OFFICIALS IN California aren’t the only ones worried about how Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed $1 billion cut will impact the state’s three-tiered college system educationally and financially. Students have big concerns as well—and they have taken them to the streets. On May 19, students from California State University, the University of California, and California Community Colleges held the second of two planned “A Day of Action” pro- Voices carry: Students demonstrate how serious they tests by conducting “study-ins” are about wanting to maintain education funding. outside the capitol and district offices across the state. The first rally occurred in April, with more than 2,000 students participating in events at their respective institutions. In San Diego, students marched from San Diego City College to City Hall, while in Riverside, a protest rally and open mike session was held at Riverside City College. In Los Angeles, students headed to Schwarzenegger’s office at the Reagan State Building. It’s all in an effort to have their voices heard before the state budget comes to a vote on June 15. Furthering this effort, student associations have united through Students for California’s Future (www.studentsforcalifornia.org), a grassroots coalition. “I think we definitely have been able to shift the debate by getting a lot of student involvement,” says Jennifer Knox, organizing and communications director for the UC Student Association, about the protests. “It’s certainly good that we have gotten this message through.” The 3.2 million students in California’s higher ed system have been hit hard by recent increases in student fees. For UC students, fees have risen 96 percent since 2001, according to Knox, while CSU student fees have nearly doubled in the same period. Officials have mounted a joint effort to approach lawmakers about this issue as well. California Community Colleges Chancellor Diane Woodruff, CSU Chancellor Charles Reed, and UC Provost Rory Hume recently visited the state capitol to urge policymakers to resist budget cuts. A recent study commissioned by the Campaign for College Opportunity analyzed the potential institutional impact of the cuts. Among its findings, community colleges would need to increase class sizes, diminish course offerings, and reduce various support services to students over the course of the next several years. UC and CSU might have to halt their existing student enrollment at current levels, which will directly affect high school students. More about the study is available at www.collegecampaign.org/budget. —Michele Herrmann universitybusiness.com U Taxing Conversations FIRST CONGRESS STARTED INQUIRING about how endowments at higher ed institutions are managed and about the relationship between those endowments, tuition, and fees. Now the state legislature in Massachusetts has approved a study to investigate applying a 2.5 percent tax to all endowments in the state that are valued at more than $1 billion. Nine higher ed institutions would be subject to the tax if it came to pass. They are (in order from highest to lowest endowment amount): • Harvard • MIT • Williams College • Boston College • Amherst College • Wellesley College • Tufts University • Smith College • Boston University In published reports, representatives from those institutions are pointing out the detrimental effect the tax would have on their ability to support financial aid and other programs. Depending on how the Massachusetts study goes, California higher ed leaders might want to pay close attention. Their state is also cash strapped and according to the 2007 Endowment Study from The National Association of College and University Business Officers (www.nacubo.org, click on “Research”), there are five IHEs in California that would qualify. —Ann McClure 16 | June 2008 http://www.studentsforcalifornia.org http://www.nacubo.org http://www.collegecampaign.org/budget http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - June 2008

University Business - June 2008
Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
People Watch
Endowment Management
Viewpoint
On the Hill
Future Shock
2008 Annual Directory of Higher Education Consultants
Independent Outlook
Sense of Place
Cover Story - History in the Making
Getting Serious About Service
Sustainability and Energy Management
Internet Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
End Note

University Business - June 2008