Quick Takes
Tenure Restored at Kentucky Community Colleges
The board of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System on Friday restored the tenure system for new faculty members -- a system that the board had eliminated in March. The board acted two days after the state's attorney general issued an advisory statement finding that the board had exceeded its authority. Although the board issued a statement saying that it disagreed with the attorney general, it said that it was best for the system to move beyond the tenure issue.
Emergency Checks Ordered for Veterans Waiting for Benefits
The Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday announced that it would authorize checks of up to $3,000 for students who have applied for educational benefits but have not yet received their funds. The checks will be distributed to eligible students at VA regional benefits offices, starting October 2. "Students should be focusing on their studies, not worrying about financial difficulties,” said a statement from Eric Shinseki, secretary of veterans affairs. A list of the 57 benefits offices where checks may be obtained may be found here. Officials at the VA said that they do not know how many students will request emergency funds, but that the agency has 25,000 claims pending that may result in payments to students. Since August, reports have been circulating among some campus offices that help veterans that they were experiencing serious delays with benefits for students eligible for the greatly expanded Post-9/11 GI Bill. Officials at the American Council on Education welcomed the VA's decision to expedite the payments.
Berkeley Leaders Seek New Model for Top State Universities
Robert J. Birgeneau and Frank D. Yeary, the chancellor and vice chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, proposed in a Washington Post essay on Sunday that a select group of leading public universities receive federal funds for operating support. They cited the financial crisis facing many state universities, and said that "the federal government should create a hybrid model in which a limited number of our great public research and teaching universities receive basic operating support from the federal government and their respective state governments. Washington might initially choose a representative set of schools, perhaps based on their research achievements, their success in graduating students, commitment to public service and their record in having a student body that is broadly representative of society." The funds would be used "to ensure broad access and continued excellence at these universities. A portion of these resources would ensure that out-of-state and in-state students pay the same tuition and have access to the same financial aid packages. The combined federal-state funding must be sufficient for these universities to maintain their preeminence as well as charge moderate fees to all U.S. citizens and permanent residents."
Time for a Garage Sale
City College of San Francisco has already made news with some of its strategies for raising money in a terrible budget year. Now the college is planning a large-scale garage sale, renting a campus parking lot to vendors to sell items, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The rental fees will be used to restore some of the hundreds of courses that had been called off due to budget cuts.
