Nobody Knows - At UC-SD or Elsewhere

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

Is my research grant about to get cut? Will I have to lay off staff? Why am I in the dark about this? Anxious questions are dominating conversations at UC San Diego, where scant updates from campus leaders have left an information vacuum in the weeks since the school learned it could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.

Chancellor Pradeep Khosla and his staff have posted messages about the matter on a school website but have mostly spoken in generalities, referring readers to federal websites that are also light on specifics...

The San Diego Union-Tribune spoke with 30 faculty, administrators, students and staff about how the school is coping with the prospect of losing upward of $150 million in NIH funding meant to help cover overhead costs in research, along with other money. Most were loath to speak publicly, worried about antagonizing school officials or drawing attention from the Trump administration. But nearly everyone the Union-Tribune spoke to said, in one way or another, that they want the school’s leadership to start providing clear, timely, useful information about the cuts the school faces...

The lack of information has led some faculty and students to describe the atmosphere at UCSD in bleak terms. “On campus, the energy is gone,” said Dr. Davey Smith, director of infectious diseases. “It feels like that moment when a patient gets the news of a terminal illness. Biomedical research is dying. What does that mean for new cures? My career? The university? I have no idea. I have empathy for the university on this. I’m often finding out about cuts in my area before they do. Things are happening so fast.” ...

Full story at https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/03/30/whats-in-store-for-ucsd-with-campus-leaders-largely-mum-faculty-and-students-are-on-edge/.

There is - maybe - a buried lede in this story:

"The UC Board of Regents is expected to announce a new president in May, two UCSD faculty members say."

Does that mean a candidate has been chosen? Or does it just mean that since President Drake is leaving at the end of the academic year, May would be the last full meeting of the Regents to announce something before he is gone? Nobody knows.

Letter to Columbia University Detailing Conditions for Restoration of Funding - Part 10 (Greetings from #3)

One Columbia president stepped down after a year of turmoil. An interim president signed a deal with the feds but privately told faculty something else in a Zoom call that became public. So president #3 was appointed by the Trustees from their own board. She sent the following message on taking office:

Dear members of the Columbia community,

Today, I write to you in my new capacity as Acting President. I do so with awe for the role, reverence for this institution, and clarity about our challenges. Ornamental language can’t disguise the fact that this is a precarious moment for Columbia University. In serving our community and navigating what’s to come, I pledge to be as transparent as possible, and to work as hard as I can to do right by a place that is so critical to all of us, and to the world.

There is no overstating the influence Columbia has had on my life. When I arrived on College Walk in 1982, I wasn’t your typical student. I had transferred into the first class of women, not appreciating that fact at the time. I grew up in the Midwest, and I wasn’t particularly well-versed in the Ivy League. What I found here was a place that ignited my curiosity and drive to explore. As is the case for so many students, I arrived at Columbia, and something clicked. I recognized myself.

This is what happens at Columbia. We love the sharp argument, the intellectual sprawl, the sense that anything feels possible. I returned for graduate school and then served on the SIPA Advisory Board, the College Board of Visitors, and the Board of Trustees, hooked on all the ways this remarkable place keeps pushing the frontiers of scholarship and discovery.

I want to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Katrina Armstrong for taking on the challenge of stepping in as Interim President, and for her heroic efforts over the past seven months.

Over the coming days and weeks, I hope to meet and talk with as many of you as I can. If you see me, please come and say hello. I want to hear from you, and I would welcome input about how we can build a shared sense of community.

We will continue to build on the significant progress we’ve made, and the plan outlined to move our community forward.

To be clear—our task is not an easy one. But a skill Columbia teaches all of us is perseverance; my request, right now, is that we all—students, faculty, staff, and everyone in this remarkable place—come together and work to protect and support this invaluable repository of knowledge, this home to the next generation of intellectual explorers, and this place of great and continuing promise.

I look forward to seeing you on campus.

Sincerely,
Claire Shipman
Acting President, Columbia University in the City of New York

Source: https://communications.news.columbia.edu/news/message-acting-president-claire-shipman.

Fernald Closing

Parents are concerned about the planned closure on Sept. 1 of the Fernald Childcare Center up near the northeast end of the UCLA campus.* Statement by concerned parents below:

UCLA Fernald Center Closure Sparks Outcry from Faculty and Families

The UCLA community is uniting in defense of the Fernald Center, a beloved on-campus early childhood education facility, in light of its proposed closure. This decision has ignited serious concerns among faculty, staff, and families who depend on the center for high-quality childcare.

In a letter addressed to Dean of Education and University Administration, Dr. Yalda Afshar, an Associate Professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, expressed her profound distress regarding the discussions surrounding this closure. Having enrolled two children at the center for over four years, Afshar highlighted the invaluable role it has played in both her professional and personal life.

"Fernald has taught me how to be a parent, allowed me to become both a physician-scientist and a mom, and most importantly, it is our family and community," Afshar stated. "This peace of mind allows me to fully dedicate myself to my clinic care, research, and teaching responsibilities at UCLA."

The Fernald Center is renowned for its exemplary safety record and its accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), valid through 2029. Conversely, the Krieger Center, another on-campus childcare facility, has recently faced significant challenges, including troubling incidents involving rodent droppings, high staff turnover due to allegations of abuse, and an ongoing investigation of charges of sexual assault.

The note sent to teachers regarding the transition indicated the administration's intent to reduce redundancies and achieve cost savings. However, many in the UCLA community contend that consolidating childcare options will not resolve the underlying issues at the Krieger Center and may, in fact, threaten the quality of care provided to families. The plan will also further reduce childcare capacity for the large pool of UCLA students, residents, staff, and faculty in need of childcare.

“While we acknowledge that support is needed to support and improve the Krieger Center, simply transferring our children from Fernald to Krieger will not resolve the existing issues," Afshar implored. "We must prioritize and preserve the Fernald Center, which is a vital resource for our community. Our goal should be to strengthen Krieger and ensure it meets the high standards of care that UCLA families deserve."

Dr. Natalia Ramos, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at DGSOM and Medical Director of the UCLA Stress, Trauma, and Resilience Clinic, reinforces these sentiments: “As faculty parents of young children, we rely on the university to provide a safe, reputable, and trusted center for our children. Previous issues at Krieger—and the total lack of transparency during this process—make us uneasy and concerned for our children’s safety.”

The potential closure of the Fernald Center has sparked a passionate response from the UCLA community, with numerous faculty members and families expressing their concerns. They argue that the Fernald Center is not merely a childcare facility but an essential cornerstone of their lives and a vital resource for faculty at UCLA.

As the community rallies to ensure that this indispensable resource continues to thrive, the UCLA administration is facing increasing pressure to reconsider their plan to close the Fernald Center. The future of this cherished institution remains uncertain, but the voices of those who rely on it are growing louder. They have addressed concerns to Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Hunt as well as Dean Christie and Associate Dean Lazo of the UCLA School of Education.

The parents want to be clear: while we deeply desire for Krieger to succeed as part of the ECE framework, sending our children there from Fernald is irresponsible given the ongoing challenges. We believe in creating a better option for all, enhancing faculty and staff support, celebrating teachers, all while ensuring the safety and quality of care for our children.

Media Contacts:

Yalda Afshar: YAfshar@mednet.ucla.edu

Natalia Ramos: NRamos@mednet.ucla.edu

Aya Tasaki: AyaTasaki@gmail.com

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Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1odEB_bh16LctdVTS43GZ7eCVpoUDC6lp/edit.

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*https://dailybruin.com/2025/03/20/ucla-child-care-center-to-close-attendees-to-move-to-krieger-center-in-september.

Low Applications Campuses Grow the Most

The San Francisco Chronicle provided the table above. It shows:

1) UCLA received the most applications of all the undergraduate campuses.

2) The low application campuses (Merced and Riverside) experienced the largest increases in applications, whether gauged from last year or pre-pandemic 2019. (Merced provided free applications to drive up applications this year.)

3) All campuses have significantly increased applications since 2019. But growth over last year at the high-application campuses stalled relative to last year.

Reminder: Applications are not the same as final enrollments. Enrollments are determined by the acceptance rate of the campus and within it, the acceptance rate of applicants.

Source: https://www.sfchronicle.com/college-admissions/article/uc-applications-20238586.php.
 

Latest at Harvard

From a US Dept. of Education news release:

Today [March 31], the Departments of Education (ED), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced a comprehensive review of federal contracts and grants at Harvard University and its affiliates. This review is part of the ongoing efforts of the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. 

The Task Force will review the more than $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard University, its affiliates and the Federal Government. The review also includes the more than $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard University and its affiliates to ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities. 

“Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations – the pinnacle aspiration for students all over the world to work hard and earn admission to the storied institution,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic discrimination - all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry - has put its reputation in serious jeopardy. Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus.” ...

Full release at https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/ed-hhs-and-gsa-initiate-federal-contract-and-grant-review-of-harvard-university.

Watch the Regents Meeting of March 20, 2025

We are catching up with the final day of the March Regents meetings. The March 20 Regents meeting was largely informational with routine endorsements of committee recommendations. It began with the full board and public comments. There were a number of pro-Israel comments and some opponents. Other topics included undocumented student support, BIPOC support, DEI, sexual violence, the hiring freeze and the Trump administration, sanctuary campuses, disabled student support, and mental health student support. Much of the subsequent initial board meeting was devoted to presentations about the UC-Prime programs at various campuses which seek to attract med students who will work in underserved communities.

The board then adjourned for a closed session. When it resumed, there was discussion of Basic Needs centers on various campuses. In that context, food pantries were discussed along with programs that supplement CalFresh or provide services to students not eligible for CalFresh. During a discussion of emergency housing for students, there was a disruption by an anti-Israel group. The room was cleared and the meeting continued.

Also on March 20 was a session of the Public Engagement and Development Committee that had been postponed from the previous day due to time constraints. It was noted that UCOP has a webpage devoted to federal developments. Services to veterans were also discussed including a tuition waiver program. Apart from the ongoing state budget pressures, it was noted that there might be a bond measure for higher education. It was also possible that some housing bonds being discussed in Sacramento might include UC.

As always, we preserve recording of Regents meetings indefinitely since the Regents have no policy about length of retention.

The general webpage for the March 20 recordings is at:

https://archive.org/details/1-board-8-30-am-3-20-2025.

The initial board session is at:

https://ia800809.us.archive.org/31/items/1-board-8-30-am-3-20-2025/1-Board%208_30%20AM%203-20-2025.mp4.

The resumed board session is at:

https://ia800809.us.archive.org/31/items/1-board-8-30-am-3-20-2025/2-Board%2011_30%20AM%203-20-2025.mp4.

Public Engagement and Development is at:

https://ia600809.us.archive.org/31/items/1-board-8-30-am-3-20-2025/3-Public%20Engagement%20and%20Development%20Committee%203-20-2025.mp4.

New Subway Notice

This notice recently appeared, although it refers to work that began during the week of March 17:

Lowering Material for Support of Excavation at UCLA Station  Summary  Metro contractors will continue delivery of material for support of excavation at UCLA Station. Work is anticipated to begin the week of March 17, 2025 and continue for up to three months. Activities will take place on Wilshire Blvd, between Westwood Blvd and Gayley Ave. Construction activities include drilling, lowering of steel components, rebar delivery, and concrete pouring.   There will be lane reductions on the north side of westbound Wilshire Blvd, between Malcolm Ave and Veteran Ave, a closure of the center left turn lanes from eastbound Wilshire Blvd onto northbound Gayley Ave, lane reductions on northbound and southbound Gayley Ave, between Lindbrook Ave and Ashton Ave, along with a closure of the right turn lanes from southbound Westwood Blvd onto westbound Wilshire Blvd. All through traffic and local driveway access to surrounding properties will be maintained.    Anticipated work hours include weekdays from 9 am to 3:30 pm and 7 pm to 6 am, as well as weekends from Fridays at 7 pm to Mondays at 6 am.  Dates: Week of March 17, approximately three months  Work Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am to 3:30 pm and 7 pm to 6 am, Friday through Monday, 7 pm to 6 am.  Wilshire Blvd  Lane closure of westbound lanes between Malcolm Ave and Veteran Ave  Closure of eastbound center left turn lanes onto Gayley Ave  Restricted right turns onto northbound Gayley Ave  Through traffic and local driveway access maintained  Gayley Ave  Lane closures on northbound and southbound Gayley Ave between Lindbrook Ave and Ashton Ave  Through traffic and local driveway access maintained  Westwood Blvd  Closure of southbound right turn lanes onto westbound Wilshire Blvd  Through traffic and local driveway access maintained  == Source: https://cloud.sfmc.metro.net/SOE_UCLAStation.