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Sunday, November 30, 2014

If UC wants public support for its contest with the governor, it needs to fix problems

Jackie Robinson signs forms to transfer from Pasadena City College to UCLA
From the editorial page of the Sacramento Bee:

The University of California regents made a difficult decision last week to support increased tuition. We recognize the need for additional funding for the UC system and support increased support from the Legislature.
But we also believe there are measures that the UC system can and should implement immediately to keep UC costs down, make going to college in California more affordable and increase the likelihood that students will complete their studies on time and actually graduate... At the meeting last week, Gov. Jerry Brown urged regents to consider several proposals, the most critical of which is improving transfers from the state’s community colleges to the UC system.

There are 110,000 routes that students can take from community colleges to UC campuses. It can be a daunting journey through the maze of conflicting requirements, rules and policies that differ among each UC and community college and among each major. That may be the reason why so few transfer students took a seat in a UC classroom this semester.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article4196547.html#storylink=cpy

The UC system’s transfer challenges are in contrast to the recently adopted system developed by the community college and California State University systems to streamline transfers through the development of the associate degree for transfer. That new system has reduced the jumble of routes to just 27 uniform pathways to the most popular majors. These new degrees guarantee admission with junior standing to the CSU, saving students time and money toward a bachelor’s degree...

Full editorial at http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article4196547.html

The lesson here - beyond the immediate issue of transfers - is that everything the university does from now on until there is a final budget in June will be scrutinized.  Ultimately, although the contest is between the governor and UC (and the legislature), it hinges on public opinion.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article4196547.html#storylink=cpy

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