Compact Thanks

UC President Milliken is still thanking the governor but also asking the legislature for full "compact" funding. (See below.) That's wise. But the problem with the compact is that the legislature was not a party to it. Still, as we have been noting, revenue has been coming into the state treasury ahead of forecast estimates. So, making hay while the sun shines is appropriate.

UC President James B. Milliken urges state lawmakers to fuel economic growth through strategic investments in UC

UC Office of the President, News Release

In remarks... to the California State Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, UC President James B. Milliken expressed gratitude for Gov. Newsom’s January budget proposal, which includes $350 million in ongoing funding and a $130 million deferral restoration for the University. President Milliken acknowledged the vital role of state support for UC and advocated for a fully funded state compact to support the University’s record-breaking California resident enrollment.

President Milliken’s remarks acknowledged ongoing uncertainty with federal funding for UC. If UC were to lose federal research funds, the University would need $4 billion to $5 billion annually to sustain reduced core operations and research. President Milliken emphasized UC’s profound impact on California’s economy as the University continues to work with state and legislative partners ahead of the May budget revision.

Below are some key highlights from President Milliken’s remarks, as delivered: 

“(T)alent is universal — but opportunity is not. Higher education, particularly public higher education, is the best vehicle we know of to match talent with opportunity. When we’re successful, we achieve something truly meaningful. We become the best engine of social and economic mobility there is. We are able to change the trajectory of not only an individual, but of families and communities.”   

“The work that our community colleges, CSU, and UC do is changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Californians every day.”  

“UC’s health locations served patients from 99% of California ZIP codes last year; our research generates four inventions a day, fueling California’s leading industries; and the University employs more than 265,000 people, contributing $82 billion to the state’s economy. The breadth and depth of UC is unparalleled in higher education.”   

“The federal government continues to reduce its support of higher education and research. Federal policy changes and reductions to financial aid and student opportunity programs continue to threaten our ability to serve all Californians.”  

“Despite the declining federal support, UC’s impact continues to grow. We reached a remarkable milestone this past fall, enrolling more than 300,000 students for the first time in our history. This includes over 200,000 California resident undergraduates, also a record.” 

"The Governor is proposing an important step to fund both the final year of the Compact payment and a portion of the fourth-year payment. I’m hopeful we can build on this year’s progress to receive the full Compact funding.” 

“This proposal is a very positive first step. I’m grateful for the unwavering commitment the Governor and you, our legislative leaders, have shown to the students in the university that serves so many Californians.”  

“As stewards of UC in this critical moment in history, the Board of Regents, our talented faculty and staff, and I plan to meet the challenges together, guided by the values that have shaped UC across generations.”

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Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-president-james-b-milliken-urges-state-lawmakers-fuel-economic-growth-through.

Straws in the Wind - Part 264

From Inside Higher Ed: The University of Texas system board approved a policy [last] Thursday that asks faculty members to “eschew topics and controversies that are not germane” to their classes. Faculty said the new standards are vague and will, by design, encourage self-censorship that will ultimately cheapen education at one of the largest university systems in the country. Following a public comment period during which all 10 speakers, including Democratic state representative Donna Howard, criticized the policy, the nine-member Board of Regents unanimously passed it without discussion during its regularly scheduled meeting.

...The policy enshrines four teaching responsibilities that ask faculty to foster “cultures of trust” in their classrooms, to fairly present discussion and evidence on “disputed matters and unsettled issues,” and to equip students with critical thinking skills that allow them to come to their own conclusions about the material. The last standard asks that faculty “eschew topics and controversies that are not germane to the course.” ...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/curriculum/2026/02/20/ut-policy-asks-faculty-avoid-controversial-topics.

The need is obvious

UC President Clark Kerr hands
Master Plan to Gov. Pat Brown

We keep pointing to the need to set up a process in California to develop a new Master Plan for Higher Education. The old one goes back to 1960 and at this point has little relevance to actual policy. Meanwhile, the evidence for that need keeps piling up:

From EdSource: Moorpark College in Ventura County will offer a program in cyberdefense. At San Diego Mesa College, students will be able to get a degree as a physical therapy assistant. And at Southwestern College in San Diego County, students can study urban planning in the CaliBaja region and earn a degree in transborder environmental design. Those are among the newly approved bachelor’s degree programs at California community colleges — despite objections from California State University to all three degrees. It’s the latest development in an ongoing clash between the state’s two largest higher education systems over what kinds of bachelor’s degrees should be offered across the 116 community colleges. 

...Until now, top California community college officials, who have final decision-making power, have typically not approved degrees that face active objections from CSU campuses...

Frustrated by CSU’s opposition, some lawmakers and advocacy groups in Sacramento are moving to make it easier for community colleges to create the degrees. The Legislature this year could consider Senate Bill 960, which would restrict four-year universities from bringing duplication objections unless they are located near the community college. And the Community College League of California, an advocacy group, is floating the idea of a future ballot measure to do the same...

Full story at https://edsource.org/2026/california-community-colleges-approve-3-new-bachelors-degrees-over-california-state-university-objections/751678.

Response of UCLA to DOJ Lawsuit

We posted yesterday the DOJ news release announcing its lawsuit against UC/UCLA. Below is the UCLA response:

UCLA statement on combating antisemitism

February 24, 2026

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/ucla-statement-on-combating-antisemitism

The following statement was issued today by Mary Osako, UCLA vice chancellor for strategic communications.

As Chancellor Frenk has made clear: Antisemitism is abhorrent and has no place at UCLA or anywhere.

Under his leadership, UCLA has taken concrete and significant steps to strengthen campus safety, enforce policies, and combat antisemitism in a systemic and sustained manner. We recruited an Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus and Community Safety and made substantial investments to enhance coordination, preparedness, and response. We established the Initiative to Combat Antisemitism* with a clear mandate to implement meaningful institutional change. 

We reorganized our Office of Civil Rights and hired a dedicated Title VI/Title VII officer to ensure professionalized oversight and accountability. We adopted strengthened Time, Place, and Manner policies to protect both free expression and campus operations. And, pursuant to the Frankel settlement, we are providing support to community organizations engaged in combating antisemitism.

These ongoing and long-standing institutional efforts, including clear expectations and a commitment to enforcement, are working. We stand firmly by the decisive actions we have taken to combat antisemitism in all its forms, and we will vigorously defend our efforts and our unwavering commitment to providing a safe, inclusive environment for all members of our community.

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*https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/initiative-to-combat-antisemitism.

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Note: The DOJ lawsuit can be found at:

https://ia600402.us.archive.org/9/items/2-final-hjaa-report.-the-soil-beneath-the-encampments/UCLA%20DOJ%20lawsuit%20against%20UC-UCLA%202-24-2026.pdf.

DOJ Lawsuit against UC

Justice Department Files Suit Against University of California for Antisemitic Hostile Work Environment

Feb. 24, 2026

Today, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division filed suit against the University of California for engaging in a hostile work environment against Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff at its University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

After the Hamas-led massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, antisemitic acts pervaded UCLA. The suit alleges the University engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of Title VII against Jewish and Israeli employees at UCLA by failing to prevent and correct discriminatory and harassing conduct. The suit further alleges the University negligently permitted a hostile work environment against two charging parties and other aggrieved Jewish and Israeli employees.

In 2024, the University allowed antisemitic harassment to continue unabated for days in front of its iconic Royce Hall: among other acts, Jews were not permitted on portions of the main quad, Jewish professors were assaulted, and swastikas were graffitied on University buildings. The University has ignored, and continues to ignore, gross and repeated violations of viewpoint-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions involving these and other actions directed against Jewish and Israeli employees. Jewish and Israeli faculty have been physically threatened, had their classrooms disrupted, and had their workplaces papered with disturbing images. Jewish professors have been, and continue to be, subjected to ostracism and harassment by their colleagues and students, while their colleagues and supervisors not only have failed to report those acts as required but have even participated in them. Numerous Jewish and Israeli employees have been forced to take leave, work from home, and even leave their jobs to avoid the hostile work environment.

“Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s lawsuit underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and anti-Semitism in all its vile forms.”

“The litany of vile acts of antisemitism that allegedly took place, and continue to take place, at UCLA are, if found to be true, a mark of shame against the University of California,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will ensure that UCLA maintains an environment for its employees free from antisemitic harassment.”

“UCLA failed to live up to its systemwide commitment to diversity and equal opportunity when it stood by as Jewish employees were subjected to harassment,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California. “The federal government has an obligation to step in and ensure a discrimination-free environment at our universities.”

The lawsuit stems from a Commissioner’s Charge filed by then-Commissioner Andrea Lucas of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in June 2024. The EEOC was instrumental in investigating the allegations of harassment at UCLA and in identifying the University’s poor complaint system. “The EEOC is committed to eradicating antisemitism at work,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “If a University will not investigate and remedy repeated allegations of antisemitism against its employees, the EEOC will.”

Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-suit-against-university-california-antisemitic-hostile-work.

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Note: UC/UCLA could have settled with the individual plaintiffs who registered complaints (as it did with students' complaints), rather than letting the complaints fester. As far as he knows, however, there were no such settlements so now we are dealing with a lawsuit from a federal agency.

Revised Student Conduct Rules

The Daily Bruin is reporting a change in the individual Student Conduct Code. The code covers a very wide range of behaviors ranging from cheating, flying unauthorized drones over campus, and use of controlled substances, to violations of time-place-manner rules. You can find the details at:

https://studentconduct.ucla.edu/2026-individual-student-code.

The new code, which has been in place since January 1, although announced on February 17, drops a committee hearing format in most cases and generally involves a single hearing officer. Students may receive an "admonition" rather than formal disciplinary measures. The Bruin article is at:

https://dailybruin.com/2026/02/18/ucla-student-conduct-code-undergoes-updates-in-hearing-timeline-appeal-processes.

There is a separate code of conduct for student groups:

https://studentconduct.ucla.edu/2026-group-student-code.

However, many of the forms of misconduct track the language applying to individual students, including the time-place-manner rules: 

https://tpm.ucla.edu/news/bruin-post-finalized-time-place-and-manner-tpm-policies-now-effect.

Straws in the Wind - Part 263

From Inside Higher Ed: The Trump administration is investigating an enrollment initiative in Louisiana designed to boost the number of Black and Hispanic students graduating from a college or university, alleging in a Friday news release that the effort is discriminatory and violates civil rights law. When the campaign began during the 2020–21 academic year, the Louisiana Board of Regents tallied a baseline of 14,579 graduates from “all races other than white [and] Asian.” The goal was to raise that number to 16,000 by 2025–26. But the board, which oversees all public universities in the state, surpassed that milestone ahead of schedule in 2023–24...

The Education Department argues that by focusing specific resources on recruiting and retaining Black and Hispanic students, the board has violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin at federally funded institutions...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/02/18/louisiana-board-faces-allegations-enrollment-discrimination.