Category Archives (2009-2017)

* Important Changes in UC Health Care 2014

Letter from the SCFA Board to alert you to changes in health insurance coverage by the University that will affect all members of the UCSC faculty and staff in 2014. We are deeply concerned that faculty and staff have been so poorly and so tardily informed about these changes in health insurance coverage that could have major implications for their healthcare. Furthermore, because we begin classes so late in September, many faculty members and staff may not yet be aware of what UCOP is doing. The task now is to ensure that all Santa Cruz faculty and staff members are alerted to these impending changes, and that Senate leaders are informed of the difficulties they may generate for those in the UCSC community.

* Online Education in the media, July and August 2013

U. of Texas president wants faculty input on future of  online education | Inside Higher Ed University of Texas at Austin is President Bill Powers’s has prepared a white paper on the future of “technology enhanced” education in order to…

* Online Education in the Media, April and May 2013

Members of the SCFA have been tracking campus conversations about Coursera and other commercial online course providers.  The most recent articles appear at the bottom of the list. Thank you to Sean Keilen (Literature) for providing us with these updates which have appeared…

* California: Do MOOCs Deserve Credit?

“It’s the wrong solution to the wrong problem,” said Robert Meister, chair of the Council of UC Faculty Associations and professor at UC Santa Cruz, in a phone interview. He argued that the problem is inadequate funding and the solution…

* UC Santa Cruz Panel talks about the future of online education

A panel discussion Friday at UC Santa Cruz explored some key issues surrounding online classes at the college level with speakers Daphne Koller, a Stanford computer science professor who co-founded Cousera — an online platform that offers free college classes;…

* Spring Forum “Online Education & UCSC: What’s next?”

Friday, April 26, 2013 – 3:15-5:00 p.m., Stevenson College, Event Center Panelists (see below) will tackle the big questions surrounding online education: How will the role of the professor change? What are the risks to faculty member’s intellectual property? How will…

* Add your voice to a call for changes to SB 520

We are deeply concerned by Senator Darrell Steinberg’s attempt to force the UCs, CSUs, and Community Colleges to accept credit for online courses from any source. Please help us convince him to pull or amend his bill by signing the petition.

* OPEN LETTER TO MEMBERS OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE ABOUT SB 520

March 15, 2013 - Academic senate leaders sent out this statement from the statewide senate officials. Senate Bill 520 raises grave concerns. We were not consulted in the writing of this legislation, which purports to address course access problems experienced by students in public higher education. Next week, we plan to meet with Senator Steinberg’s staff in order to discuss this bill.

* SENATOR STEINBERG’S PROPOSED ONLINE CLASSES BILL

Yesterday’s New York Times (and a number of other news sources) had an article about proposed legislation from Senator Steinberg that would require California’s public higher education systems to accept transfer credits from select online course providers for 50 of…

* CUCFA’s Letter to the UC President Search Committees

On March 8th, the Council of UC Faculty Associations sent the following letter to the Regents' Special Committee to Consider the Selection of a President and the Academic Senate Committee that advises said committee.

* SCFA Request for Information concerning UCSC/Coursera/Faculty Contracts 3/5/2013

March 5, 2013 - The SCFA learned last week that the University signed a contract with Coursera without including them in the discussion. The SCFA, as the bargaining agent for UCSC faculty, should be consulted whenever there is the potential for a change in the relationship between the University and faculty, that could therefore be subject to collective bargaining. The SCFA is not taking a position at this point on the desirability or undesirability of working with Coursera. Their concern, at this stage, is the maximal protection of faculty rights and authority, whether faculty participate or not in Coursera-hosted on-line courses. A Request for Information has been made to the university.

* UCSC Signs Contract with Coursera

March 5, 2013 The SCFA learned last week that the University signed a contract with Coursera without including them in the discussion.  The SCFA, as the bargaining agent for UCSC faculty, should be consulted whenever there is the potential for…

* University of California must disclose more information about its investment

Interesting article that ties in with our concern that the Regents are top heavy in investment bankers which makes the possibility of deals such a problem. "An Alameda County Superior Court judge has ruled that the University of California must disclose how its investments in two of Silicon Valley's top venture capital firms have performed."

* SCFA Small Grants Program Fall 2013 Award Recipients

Creative Responses to Crisis in Education: An SCFA Small Grants Program This fall the Santa Cruz Faculty Association chose recipients from among a strong pool of applications for its second annual program of small grants—ranging from $1500 to $10,000—for projects…

* UC Management Bloat – updated (January 2013), by Charles Schwartz

Charles Schwartz shows the continuing outsized growth of the management cadre (defined as the employees classified in Senior Management Group and Management & Senior Professionals): their numbers grew by 252% over the 21 year period while total employee numbers grew by a mere 51%. His last presentation of data on the bloated growth of management at the University of California, covered the span of 1991-2010. (Note: click on graph to view a larger version in a new)

* Online Education in the Media – January 2013

January 2013 – There has been an explosion in the mainstream press already this year concerning online education. Here is a s synopsis of relevant links that represent just a few of the articles that have been published.

* Concerns re: open access to publications policy

Chris M. Kelty Chair, University Committee on Library and Scholarly Communications January 10, 2013 Dear Professor Kelty, We write to you on behalf of the Berkeley Faculty Association to express our concern that the proposed policy to expand open access…

UC’s Management Continues its Super-Sized Growth by Charles Schwartz, UC Berkeley It has been two years since my last presentation of data on the bloated growth of management at the University of California, covering the span 1991-2010. (See the post…

* SCFA Grants Program Award Recipients

This fall the Santa Cruz Faculty Association chose recipients from among a strong pool of applications for its second annual program of small grants—ranging from $1500 to $10,000—for projects led by Academic Senate faculty at UC Santa Cruz. The mission…

* SCFA Annual Meeting and Brunch

SCFA Annual Meeting and Brunch Upcoming Events SCFA Brunch Greetings! We are writing to invite you to join other members and the Board for Brunch on Oct 7, 2012, at the home of Shelly Errington, 323 Rigg Street Santa Cruz.…

* CREATIVE RESPONSES TO CRISES IN EDUCATION

A Small Grant Program for UCSC Senate Faculty        from the Santa Cruz Faculty Association The Santa Cruz Faculty Association announces a program of small grants—ranging from $1500 to $10,000—for projects led by Academic Senate faculty at UC Santa Cruz. …

* Brown and Yudof Bail on the Master Plan

By:  Bob Meister, President of CUCFA (Professor of Political and Social Thought, UCSC) On June 27, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed language inserted by both houses of the legislature that would have tied UC funding to admitting a minimum number of…

* What Governor Brown’s May Budget Proposal Means for UC

UC President Mark Yudof and Governor Jerry Brown are working out a deal behind closed doors that will loosen the most important ties between the university and the state. Although they will both praise the deal by saying that it…

* Irvine Faculty Association Statement in Support of BFA petition

“In support of the Berkeley Faculty Association, the Irvine Faculty Association calls upon UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau to request specifically that the Alameda County District Attorney’s office drop charges it has filed against at least 8 people (students, faculty,…

* Petitions to Stop the Alameda DA Indictments of Nov 9 Protestors

On March 1, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley sent criminal complaint and summons to eight (update: nine) participants in the protests on UC Berkeley’s campus on November 9th. For at least one of the eight, English Professor Celeste…

* Faculty Letter in Support of March 1 and 5, 2012 Protests

The past six months have brought increased awareness about growing inequalities and the capture of public resources by a small minority of private individuals and interests. Protests on our own campuses at the University of California have joined the global…

* LETTER FROM THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY

A democratic assembly of UC Santa Cruz students, workers and community members has decided on a strike to shut down the campus on Thursday, March 1. Save for emergency vehicles, residents of campus, and other necessary exceptions, we will block…

* UC Faculty Join “99 Mile March” to Sacramento*

Approximately two dozen UC Berkeley faculty will join the “99 Mile March for Education and Social Justice” on Friday, March 2nd.   The march departs Oakland on Thursday, March 1st, and will arrive in Sacramento on Monday March 5th for a…