Excuse me. Can you tell me how many CFOs we have?

This blog from time to time has pointed to the lack of up-to-date campus budgetary numbers, particularly at a time when cutbacks are being justified as due to the "deficit." As blog readers will know, we got rid of one Chief Financial Officer for saying Very Bad Words about previous budget releases. We then got an interim CFO as a replacement. Now we seem also to have a supplemental CFO. From the California Post:

Former longtime Lakers executive Tim Harris has found a landing spot — at his alma mater. The UCLA alumnus is consulting for Chancellor Julio Frenk, a role that allows the veteran marketing and business operations specialist to share his expertise on a volunteer basis, the California Post has learned. Reached by phone, Harris confirmed to The Post that he was doing some consulting work for the university but referred all questions to the chancellor’s office. One person familiar with the situation told The Post that Harris would examine revenue streams involving various aspects of campus operations, including athletics...

Full story at https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/sports/ucla-getting-consulting-advice-from-ex-lakers-exec-tim-harris/.

An interesting question is how one can "examine revenue streams" without a budget.

Traveling

From the California Post: There’s one national ranking that USC and UCLA football are almost guaranteed to finish in the top 20 every year now – miles traveled. That’s the case again in 2026. USC will rank No. 8 among the 138 Football Bowl Subdivision teams with a whopping 16,290 round-trip miles for its five road games, according to TripBalls. The Trojans will travel to face Rutgers, Penn State, Wisconsin, Indiana and rival UCLA. Not far behind is UCLA, which ranks No. 12 with 13,636 round-trip miles for its five road games. The Bruins’ road schedule includes games at California, Maryland, Oregon, Minnesota and Michigan...

Full story at https://nypost.com/2026/08/13/sports/usc-ucla-football-among-most-well-traveled-teams-2026/.

As blog readers will know, these travel distances are the result of the move of both universities to the Big Ten.

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ywcLXv-SA.

Straws in the Wind - Part 440

From the Cornell Daily Sun: Cornell alumni and students who received financial aid anytime between Fall 2003 and February 2024 are beginning to receive payments from a suit alleging Cornell and 16 other institutions conspired to price fix tuition and aid. The suit, Corzo et. al v. Brown University et. al, alleges the universities worked together to favor wealthy students and reduce financial aid to students through an organization known as the 568 Presidents Group — ultimately violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prohibits entities from cooperating to limit competition. The group was named for an exemption to the Sherman Antitrust Act that allows need-blind institutions to collaborate on financial aid principles to make financial aid similar among universities.

In the lawsuit, a group of student plaintiffs alleged that the universities did not act need blind and instead considered potential admits’ ability to pay, collaborating to set their aid at similar levels — thereby limiting the choices a student might have in receiving financial aid. Overall, the plaintiffs said, aid was lower than it would have been without the collusion. On July 2, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois Matthew Kennelly ordered the first distribution of settlements to be sent out to affected alumni and students, Cornellians included. Though Cornell has not yet settled, students and alumni are receiving payments because, under antitrust law, any co-conspirator is held liable for the overall harm, regardless of if a specific university has settled or not...

Full story at https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2026/08/payments-go-out-in-financial-aid-price-fixing-suit-but-cornell-has-yet-to-settle.

===

From The Dartmouth: On July 20, 3,988 Dartmouth students and alumni began receiving settlement payments from the class action lawsuit Henry, et al. v. Brown University, et. al, in which the plaintiffs alleged that 17 universities, including Dartmouth, colluded to lower admitted students’ financial aid awards. The 17 universities comprise the 568 Presidents Group, which claimed protection from antitrust laws under Section 568 of the Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994 by devising “a set of common standards” to determine students’ financial aid, described as the “consensus approach.” All 17 members were accused of having violated the 568 Exemption’s need-blind admissions requirement by considering applicants’ financial circumstances. The group disbanded in 2022; College spokesperson Jana Barnello declined to comment on why Dartmouth joined and left the 568 group.

According to the settlement’s website, the first rounds of payments — which average $2,000 per claimant — was sent electronically on July 20. Payments for claimants who requested a physical check were mailed on July 28. On Feb. 25, 2024, Dartmouth agreed to a settlement payment of $33.75 million. Dartmouth’s settlement, along with settlement claims from nine other universities, contributed to the checks distributed to affected students this July...

Full story at https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026/08/dartmouth-students-begin-receiving-payments-from-2022-financial-aid-class-action-settlement.

No More - Part 2

From the Daily Bruin: About 60 parents rallied outside Murphy Hall on Monday to protest the closure of two UCLA childcare centers. The Krieger and University Centers, which are under UCLA’s Early Care and Education Program, will close June 30, 2027 because its operations are no longer sustainable, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt announced in a Thursday email to parents... The closure of the childcare centers also came as UCLA faces broader budget concerns, including a $220 million deficit, according to interim CFO Reem Hanna-Harwell...

Anna Markowitz, an associate professor at the School of Education and Information Studies and the president of the UCLA Faculty Association, said seeing faculty from various departments come together to support childcare at UCLA was empowering. Markowitz said she appreciated a speaker who challenged the university’s reasoning for closing ECE because of budgetary constraints...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/08/17/parents-protest-sudden-announcement-of-ucla-childcare-center-closures.

As blog readers will know, our previous post on this matter of Aug. 16 noted that we do not have budget estimates for 2025-26, the year that ended last June 30. Nor do we have an estimated budget for the current fiscal year. Whether these numbers are available to the folks in Murphy Hall is unclear. We also noted that the last two years for which we do have budgets 2023-24 and 2024-25) showed surpluses, not deficits. (The $220 "deficit" cited by the Daily Bruin is undefined.)

Defense Audit

From DefenseScoop: Defense Department leaders instructed 30 American universities and specialized technology institutes to immediately audit their academic, financial and research connections to foreign entities that the government considers too risky or hostile to engage with. The initiation of these probes, revealed [last] Monday, marks DOD’s latest move in a yearslong effort to counter what it views as adversarial influences infiltrating U.S. academia...

Full story at https://defensescoop.com/2026/08/17/pentagon-probes-30-u-s-academic-institutions-for-potential-ties-to-adversaries/.

The institutions - which include UCLA, UC-Berkeley, and UC-San Diego - are:

Bryant University, Cornell University, Drake University, Duke University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Northeastern State University-Tahlequah, Oklahoma State University, Penn State University, Portland State University, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Stony Brook University, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, UC-San Diego, University of Cincinnati, University of Delaware, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The A-G Charge

Yesterday, we noted that on August 11, the Academic Council had charged BOARS with analyzing the possible return of the SAT for admissions purposes. The Council also charged BOARS with analyzing the A-G requirements for high school students seeking admission to UC:

The Academic Council charges the 2026-27 Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) to: 1) initiate an overarching review of UC’s A-G framework to determine whether the number and general subject areas of currently required and recommended A-G courses adequately prepare first-year applicants for academic success at UC; and 2) submit an initial report to the Academic Council by May 14, 2027. BOARS should recognize, per Senate Bylaw 145.B.7, that “[t]he committee shall consult with representatives from the State Board of Education and K-12 

subject matter specialists on proposed changes to course requirements for undergraduate admissions.” As appropriate, BOARS may convene one or more subcommittees and identify subject matter specialists and partners or consultants from other California education segments (e.g., California State University, California Community Colleges) to assist in their study.

Full document at https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/reports/council-chair-to-boars-charges-on-undergraduate-admissions.pdf.

Straws in the Wind - Part 439

From the NY Times: The president of the major sociology association, Shelley Correll, had just taken the stage at the discipline’s big annual conference in New York City on Sunday when a few dozen sociologists began chanting “Free Palestine” and unfurled a banner. The short disruption was partly drowned out by turning up Dr. Correll’s entrance music, Dolly Parton’s “Big Dreams and Faded Jeans.” Tuning out the broader cacophony around sociology is not so easy, however.

Republicans in some states have singled out sociology as a poster child of everything that is wrong with academia, saying that it has become a hotbed of leftist activism. And rifts have formed within the discipline over whether to take political stances on issues like the war in Gaza. At the same time, fewer students are signing up for sociology classes, making the debates feel all the more urgent.

...“We lost something through this pursuit of partisanship,” said Fabio Rojas, a professor at Indiana University who writes about schisms in sociology, adding, “There are a lot of people who are just like, ‘I want to go to work and not hear about Palestine.’”

Sociology is sprawling. It includes ethnographers who conduct in-depth interviews, data-driven researchers and those who do both. Many sociologists study crime, demography, religion and other topics that do not generally irk conservatives. Sociology has also become a home for scholars who examine sexism, racism, policing, immigration and other politically charged topics... Many sociologists argue that it’s impossible to study human society deeply without seeing inequality and discrimination. And those who support activism argue that it is not a big step to then use that knowledge to push for public policy changes...

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/us/activist-sociology-independent.html.

Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 188

From the Harvard Crimson: The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is considering requiring some staff in academic departments to return to the office four days a week, according to a person familiar with the matter and a message sent to members of Harvard’s staff union. Under the proposal, staff in some faculty- and student-facing roles would be required to come in up to four days a week. Formal implementation would not take place until at least January, according to the person. The proposal is the latest move toward stricter in-person work requirements across Harvard this summer. Harvard College announced in June that it would move toward a five-day in-office mandate. One month later, Harvard’s Alumni Affairs and Development Office unveiled a two-day in-person requirement for roughly 150 staff...

Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers leaders acknowledged that some staff had heard of potential changes via coworkers, supervisors, or new job descriptions, adding that there would likely be an exceptions process if the new policy were to be implemented. “We have not yet begun negotiations with administrators about this proposed change, but those discussions will likely begin soon,” organizers wrote in the message...

Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/8/18/fas-four-day-office-requirement/.

Academic Council asks BOARS for its thoughts on SAT

On August 11th, the chair of the Academic Council sent the chair of BOARS the charge below to be accomplished by February 12th of next year, which happens to be Lincoln's birthday:

The Academic Council charges the 2026-27 Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) to: 1) assess the potential advantages and disadvantages of the use of standardized test scores in UC undergraduate admissions as well as the various ways that such test scores could be used in admissions decision-making; and 2) submit a final report and policy recommendations to the Academic Council by February 12, 2027. BOARS should recognize that the Assembly of the Academic Senate in 2020 endorsed the Standardized Testing Task Force (STTF) report’s recommendation that “the University revisit within five years whether the added value of the SAT/ACT still holds, using the methods employed in the STTF report,” and that standardized tests and the admissions context have since changed. As appropriate, BOARS may convene a subcommittee and identify subject matter specialists and other partners or consultants to assist in their study.

Full document at https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/reports/council-chair-to-boars-charges-on-undergraduate-admissions.pdf.

Straws in the Wind - Part 438

From Inside Higher Ed: Thirty senators wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging his agency to process international student and scholar visas in time for the start of the academic year. Led by Alex Padilla, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, the letter cited “the ongoing unavailability of visa appointments during the peak visa application season for students and scholars.” No timely visa appointments are available for students at some embassies and consulates, the senators said. 

“These challenges come at a time when major academic institutions need skilled, international talent to begin their semesters. Without a fix, the repercussions will be felt across the academic and skilled-technical talent pipeline,” the letter argued...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/08/13/senators-prod-state-dept-process-international-visas. 

ICE Hazard

From the Daily Californian: The Berkeley International Office, or BIO, announced... that it is temporarily suspending all applications for Course Credit Curricular Practical Training, the program that allows international students to work in paid off-campus internships. The suspension follows an Aug. 12 memo from ICE warning all Student and Exchange Visitor Program-certified universities — nearly all American colleges — that officials who improperly authorize Curricular Practical Training, or CPT, could face personal liability. ICE threatened to remove universities’ abilities to enroll international students if they did not comply. CPT is a work authorization program that allows international students to work and gain practical experience off campus, either as a requirement of their degree or in exchange for course credit. 

...ICE urged that work authorizations only be approved for major requirements, meaning F-1 students* will be unable to apply for work opportunities in exchange for course credit... International students are still eligible for on-campus jobs, limited to 20 hours a week...

Full story at https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/uc-berkeley-yields-to-ice-threat-suspends-course-credit-work-applications-for-international-students/article_f7d3e264-99a5-456f-9ed0-87d48b1dc1be.html.

===

*An F-1 visa is a non-immigrant academic student visa that allows foreign nationals to study full-time at an SEVP-certified college, university, high school, or language training program in the United States. SEVP = Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

People's Park

Meanwhile, back at the park...

From the San Francisco Standard: Over the decades, People’s Park at UC Berkeley has been different things to different people: a physical manifestation of the Free Speech movement, a place for teens to light a joint and throw DIY concerts, a neglected magnet for criminal behavior. Since January 2024, however, the main symbol for the park’s future has been a 17-foot wall of 160 stacked shipping containers erected around its rectangular perimeter. At the site, a red crane now extends into the sky and tall towers of glass have emerged from behind the barrier.

The city’s most controversial housing project is set to be completed by the time students arrive for next year’s fall semester. The $312 million Judith E. Heumann House, named for the disability rights pioneer, will offer apartment-style housing for more than 1,100 undergraduates. However, a long-promised project meant to house the people the development displaced has yet to begin...

No Berkeley housing fight has been this bitter... Protesters tore down a fence the university erected for preliminary soil testing in January 2021, months before the UC Board of Regents approved the project. What followed was years of sustained protest and escalating legal challenges from a coalition of NIMBY and activist groups, including Make UC a Good Neighbor and the People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group.

On Jan. 4, 2024, the university moved to clear the park overnight during winter break, cutting down trees and erecting the shipping-container barrier. Seven protesters were arrested, some of whom had chained themselves to trees and equipment. State lawmakers rushed to pass laws to allow for the development, and a June 2024 California Supreme Court ruling put a nail in the coffin of the legal avenues to pushback. The law, Assembly Bill 1307 — the Make UC a Good Neighbor Act — negated one of the primary arguments against the project. The case, Make UC a Good Neighbor v. Regents of the University of California, was decided unanimously...

Full story at https://sfstandard.com/2026/08/06/peoples-park-berkeley-dorm-unhoused/.

Straws in the Wind - Part 437

From Inside Higher Ed: A judge has dismissed the Common Application Inc. and two other nonuniversity defendants from a lawsuit alleging a conspiracy among 32 selective private colleges and universities to use early-decision admissions to increase tuition. But Judge Angel Kelley of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts denied the institutions’ request to also dismiss the suit against them, allowing the case to continue.

At selective institutions, an applicant who takes the early-decision route generally has a better chance of acceptance, but they must promise to attend if offered admission. The students who filed this suit last August allege that—even though early-decision policies aren’t legally binding—the 32 institutions have agreed not to recruit or admit students who are accepted early decision to other colleges and universities, allowing institutions to charge the accepted students more...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/08/13/early-decision-lawsuit-proceeds-some-defendants-dismissed.

Less than meets the eye

On Aug. 13, the state senate Appropriations Committee passed AB 713 which has as its goal the hiring by UC of undocumented students. The Regents originally were moving to allow such hiring but halted the effort after the UC general counsel opined that it would violate federal law. Note that when you read the actual provisions of AB 713, it still leaves the decision to the Regents. (There is no such exemption in AB 713 for CSU or the community colleges.) The bill still needs the approval of the full state senate and the governor's signature.

See the full text of the bill below:

Text of AB 713 - AB-713 Public postsecondary education: student employment

Article  3.8. Employment

66029. (a) The University of California, California State University, or California Community Colleges shall not disqualify a student from being hired for an employment position due to their failure to provide proof of federal work authorization, except in either of the following cases:

(1) Where that proof is required by federal law.

(2) Where that proof is required as a condition of a grant that funds the particular employment position for which the student has applied.

(b) The University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges shall treat the prohibition on hiring undocumented noncitizens in Section 1324a(a) of Title 8 of the United States Code as inapplicable because that provision does not apply to any branch of state government.

(c) To the extent student employment is considered a “benefit” for purposes of federal law, this statute shall constitute authorization to provide that benefit for purposes of Section 1621(d) of Title 8 of the United States Code.

(d) The University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges shall implement this article by January 6, 2027.

(e) This article shall apply to the University of California, unless it is found to be inapplicable to the university, then, consistent with Section 67400, this article shall apply to the university only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, make it applicable.

SEC. 2. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

Source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB713.

Online UC Retirement Program

Your UC Retirement System

Description: The Your UC Retirement System class offers an overview of retirement benefits offered by UC.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN? This class covers UC’s primary retirement benefits that provide a foundation for retirement income, and voluntary retirement benefits that offer additional saving opportunities in UC’s 403(b), 457(b) and DC plans.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Employees who want to learn about the benefits offered through the primary and voluntary retirement programs and how they work together to help prepare for a financially secure retirement.

DATE AND TIME: August 19, 9 AM

Sign up for Online Program at:

https://fmr.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ijclrx04Q7mPZlMcKN-2Yw#/registration.

Hitting the Target

In the recent past, we have gotten used to state revenue forecasts falling below actual results due to unanticipated capital gains in personal income tax receipts from AI. We now have one month's cash report for July - the first month of the current fiscal year. Revenues were a bit ahead of the forecast made when the state budget was enacted last June. But the overage is not from income taxes which fell a bit short of forecast estimates. Corporation taxes were the main source of the overage. And the sales tax ran a bit ahead of forecast values, and by more than pure inflation would suggest compared to the same time last year. So the general economy, as opposed to the world of finance, seems to be doing OK.

It's only one month, of course, but if this becomes a trend, it would mean no unpleasant surprises from the state for UC while the governor finishes out his term, i.e., until January. (There is always room for federal surprises, however.)

The July 2026 controller's cash report is at:

https://www.sco.ca.gov/Files-ARD/CASH/July2026StatementofGeneralFundCashReceiptsandDisbursements.pdf.

Straws in the Wind - Part 436

From the Kansas Reflector: An anonymous tip accusing a Chinese-American chemist and researcher of espionage spurred the University of Kansas into action, notifying the U.S. Department of Justice and building a case against its own employee, Feng “Franklin” Tao said in a lawsuit. Tao was a tenured chemical engineering professor at KU in 2019 when he became one of the first professors arrested under the first Trump administration’s “China Initiative,” a DOJ campaign purportedly created to thwart economic espionage and intellectual property theft.

After a federal indictment, a criminal conviction and an acquittal by an appeals court, Tao said in a lawsuit filed July 21 in federal court that the university violated state and federal workplace discrimination protections and caused harm to his reputation and career prospects. The lawsuit is Tao’s second against KU. He sued in 2025 in an attempt to regain his job and claimed the university discriminated against him. The July lawsuit accused KU of retaliating because of the 2025 discrimination complaints...

Full story at https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-professor-falsely-accused-of-espionage-wants-university-to-pay-for-firing-harm-to-reputation/.

Bond

From the Daily Bruin: The California Assembly Appropriations Committee voted [last] Thursday to advance a UC-sponsored bond measure that would fund scientific research across the state. The California Science and Health Research Bond Act – or Senate Bill 895 – would create the California Foundation for Science and Health Research to award $5 billion in grants and loans to public and private research institutions, including UC campuses. The foundation would prioritize projects affected by federal funding cuts and support research in fields including biomedicine, public health, climate science and wildfire prevention. The committee approved the measure 12-1 after lawmakers amended it to reduce the bond from $12 billion...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/08/13/5-billion-science-research-bond-clears-california-assembly-committee.

No worries

BruinADVISORY: UCPD Training Exercise on Campus August 17–21

Bruin Community,

UCLA community members are advised that the UCLA Police Department will conduct a planned training exercise from Monday, August 17, through Friday, August 21, during daytime hours at Sproul Cove.

During the exercise, community members in and around Sproul Cove and the Sproul Turnaround may see uniformed personnel moving through the designated training area and buildings while participating in simulated response scenarios. The training will also include the sound of simulated gunfire.

This is a controlled training exercise only. There is no threat to the UCLA community, and no action is required.

The exercise is intended to provide UCPD personnel with realistic, hands-on training and strengthen their preparedness to respond effectively during an actual emergency. Training activity will be limited to the designated area during the scheduled times.

People who are not participating in the exercise are asked to follow posted signs and directions near the training location. UCPD will continue providing normal public safety services to the campus community throughout the training period.

Please do not be alarmed if you see or hear activity associated with the exercise. We appreciate the community’s understanding as UCPD conducts this important preparedness training.

Sincerely,

Office of Campus & Community Safety

Overhead

From the Daily Californian: A White House science report released July 21 called for cutting back overhead costs universities collect on federal research grants, singling out rates that reach more than 40% of direct research costs at major institutions. UC Berkeley’s current rate is 60.5%, according to campus spokesperson Dan Mogulof. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy report, titled “Science: A New Golden Age,” calls for accelerated grant review cycles, less duplicate paperwork and lower overhead payments that it claims support “administrative bloat.”

Indirect costs, formally called facilities and administrative costs, represent money the government pays on top of research funding to cover shared expenses of running a lab such as heat, electricity, building maintenance and shared equipment. Universities individually negotiate a rate with the federal agencies that provide the majority of their federal research funding, but often do not collect the full amount. Mogulof said UC Berkeley collected roughly $105 million in overhead costs on federal awards in fiscal year 2025, specifying the 60.5% figure overstates what the university actually collects, because sponsors can restrict what the money can be spent on and lower rates apply to many awards. Mogulof said UC Berkeley’s more realistic rate is about 32.8%...

Full story at https://www.dailycal.org/news/national/uc-berkeley-collects-105m-in-research-overhead-costs-as-white-house-calls-for-cuts/article_d858beff-e127-4f7a-a610-6111f596a852.html.

Straws in the Wind - Part 435

From the NY Times: ...While some universities are completely online, an increasing number of brick-and-mortar schools are expanding their online offerings. Sometimes students can earn full degrees online. In other cases, they take individual classes. In this realm, A.I. cheating is quickly accelerating beyond the copy-and-pasting of chatbot-produced essays and problem sets. A.I. agents have made it possible for students to outsource a semester of work. With simple commands — “log in and complete my quiz” — a student can unleash what is, essentially, an imitation of themselves. Agents can watch lecture videos, take tests, write papers and chat with classmates about reading assignments.

There have always been questions about whether degrees from online programs are of equal value to those earned on campuses. But policymakers and education leaders have spent two decades championing online learning as an equity tool allowing nontraditional college students, like low-income working parents, to study wherever and whenever is convenient for them. Many students say online classes put degrees within reach. Now, though, the accessibility of A.I. is deepening misgivings about the most accessible form of higher education... 

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/10/us/ai-cheating-online-degrees.html.

No More

From the Daily Bruin: UCLA will shut down two of its childcare centers – one of which employed a teacher arrested for child sexual abuse in 2024 – next June, university leadership announced [last] Thursday evening. The Early Care and Education program – including the Krieger and University Village centers – will close June 30, 2027, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt said in an email to parents obtained by the Daily Bruin. ECE, which largely serves employees’ children, is “not sustainable” for the university to continue operating, Hunt added in the email...

The closure also comes as UCLA faces budgetary woes, causing cuts across campus. ECE announced in April that it would raise tuition, stop offering meals for children and pause hiring amid university-wide budget shortfalls. ECE reversed the decision ten days later, after parents protested outside of Chancellor Julio Frenk’s residence...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/08/14/ucla-childcare-program-which-faced-2024-sex-abuse-case-to-close-amid-budget-deficit. 

===

The article above goes on to reinforce the idea of UCLA's budget "deficit" as the cause. We won't rehearse here the saga of the firing of UCLA's CFO after he said Bad Things about campus budget statements released before his appointment. The article, however, does rehearse that history and the remarks of the subsequent interim CFO about the "deficit." However, we have no figures on the UCLA budget for last fiscal year (2025-26). And we have no projections for the current year (2026-27). 

What we do have are unaudited financial statements for still earlier 2023-24 and 2024-25. As blog readers will know, we put such statements in a UCLA budget page on the Internet Archive so that they won't disappear.*

2023-24 is at:

https://ia903207.us.archive.org/35/items/ucla-budget-book-v-final-feb-2026/UCLA%20Annual%20Report%202023-2024.pdf

2024-25 is at:

https://ia903207.us.archive.org/35/items/ucla-budget-book-v-final-feb-2026/UCLA%20Annual%20Report%202024-2025.pdf

The bottom line for those two years was not deficits. The net position of UCLA in fact significantly improved in each year by over $1 billion/year. (See page 10 of each report.)

Of course, things could have totally turned around to the negative in 2025-26 and might still look bleak for the current year 2026-27. But we have no macro-level figures for either of these years. There is nothing available comparable to the micro-level data the fired CFO provided before his sudden departure. And our suspicion remains that rather than a withholding of figures being the culprit, an alternative explanation is that the folks in Murphy Hall don't actually know what the numbers are. We'd be delighted to be proved wrong.

===

*https://archive.org/details/ucla-budget-book-v-final-feb-2026.

Don't even walk on Wilshire

We've been advising you not to drive on Wilshire near UCLA due to subway construction. Now you shouldn't even walk there. See below:

Wilshire Bl: North Sidewalk Closure 

Summary 

Construction of two emergency stair exits for the UCLA Station will result in a full closure of the north sidewalk along Wilshire Bl between Gayley Av and Westwood Bl starting August 17, 2026, through December.

During this closure, entry to LA Fitness from Wilshire Bl and the Wilshire Bl entrance to the Westwood Medical Plaza will be closed continuously. Visitors may access the buildings through alternate entrances.

There will also be intermittent closures of the south sidewalk along Wilshire Bl between Gayley Av and Westwood Bl to accommodate concrete pours and material deliveries. Most of these activities are anticipated to occur during night shift operations (9pm to 5am) to minimize impacts.

Should both the north and south sides of this Wilshire Bl sidewalk are closed simultaneously, pedestrians will be temporarily detoured via Lindbrook Av.

Noteworthy

All work has received the necessary permits and approvals. 

Access to driveways, residences & businesses will be maintained at all times unless notified in advance. 

Access for pedestrians will be maintained outside of construction zones. 

Access for the Fire Department and emergency responders will be maintained. 

Parking restrictions will be implemented in the immediate area of the work zone. 

Construction is dynamic and schedules are subject to change. 

24/7 Hotline: 213-922-6934 

Closure Map

Source: https://cloud.sfmc.metro.net/WilshireBl_NorthSidewalkClosure.

What unpatriotic lessons were they teaching at UCLA, c1935?

The caption for this photo from UCLA's digital archive says "Student teachers take Pledge of Allegiance to the flag at UCLA, c1935." But when yours truly was in the first grade in 1948, he was taught that you (must!) put your hand on your heart during the pledge which you must also learn to recite "by heart." No alternatives were offered. And woe to the first grader who didn't do it.

More curious still, is the fact that the student teachers don't seem to be saying anything.

§172. Pledge of allegiance to the flag; manner of delivery

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”, should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.

Source: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-1994-title36/html/USCODE-1994-title36-chap10.htm.

So, what were they teaching at UCLA in the mid-1930s?

===

Source: https://digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog/ark:/21198/zz00255160. 

Straws in the Wind - Part 434

From Inside Higher Ed: When Agenia Clark took the helm of Fisk University in late 2023, she made it her mission to secure financial stability for the 160-year-old historically Black institution, which has seen its share of financial struggles and accreditation challenges. That led her to spearhead the development of Quantum Leap, a $900 million master plan whose details were first unveiled in May. It aims to grow enrollment at the Nashville campus to 1,500 students—up from a little more than 1,000 now—as well as spend $500 million on renovations and another $400 million on a 100,000-square-foot technology and innovation center, which will house a massive, high-powered data center.

The university says the innovation center “is intended to bring critical technology access to North Nashville, enhancing our curriculum and research capabilities and ensuring our students are prepared to enter the increasingly tech-driven workforce.” But it’s also become one of the latest flashpoints of the mounting nationwide backlash against the rapid expansion of data centers. Some critics say the proliferation of these centers is following historic urban development patterns that have disproportionately hurt marginalized communities...

While data centers have been around for decades, they’ve rapidly expanded in volume and capability during the AI boom of the past few years. According to Pew Research Center, as of April, more than 3,000 data centers were operating across the United States—with high concentrations in the South—and at least 1,500 are more in development. A growing number of colleges and universities—including the University of Michigan, the University of Alabama and Oakland University—have announced plans to open their own data centers to support campus infrastructure, AI research and industry collaboration...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/artificial-intelligence/2026/08/07/will-data-center-bring-risk-or-reward-fisk.

Electric Buses

UCLA began using electric buses in 2016, as the photo above shows. More are planned for the Olympics in 2028, including a wireless charging arrangement built into the street. Local congressional rep Ted Lieu reportedly got $250,000 in federal money recently for such buses at UCLA.

Source of information: https://dailybruin.com/2026/08/12/north-westwood-neighborhood-council-recap-aug-5; https://www.facebook.com/RepTedLieu/photos/1564004928417906/.

Bruin Theater to Reopen

Joe Bruin at a promotion of the Bruin Theater, 1938*

As blog readers will surely know, there are two sibling old fashioned single-screen theaters in Westwood that were closed and appeared endangered. Now it appear both the more prominent Fox Village (because of its tower) and the Bruin will reopen. They have been used in recent years for movie premiers.

From Deadline: The Bruin Theater in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles is coming back with a hopeful re-opening in mid-October thanks to Toronto-based exhibitor Rui Pereira. Pereira recently signed a lease with the Martyn Skouras family (descendants of Spyros Panagiotis Skouras, president of 20th Century Fox), which owns the Bruin.

The Bruin Theater, which originally opened its doors in 1937, closed in July 2024 alongside its historic brother The Village after Regency Theaters’ lease ended. Pereira is a longtime theater owner in Canada... Pereira tells Deadline that the theater is in very good shape. He’s bringing back the 70MM and 35MM projectors and making upgrades to the digital projectors. Seats are in good working shape in addition to the screen. His mission is to keep the theater’s originality intact a la his previous properties. “I want to keep the essence of the theater, I don’t want to erase its history or gloss it over,” he said.

Pereira added that one hope down the road is to potentially add two screening rooms to the upstairs (15-seat theater venues). He’s already been approached by studios for potential premieres and screenings; hence there’s a chance we could see doors open before mid-October for special events. Before the venue opens, you’ll see the marquee lit up at some point with ads for Warner Bros’ Practical Magic 2. There was buzz for some time that Jason Reitman was making a go at the Bruin after purchasing The Village, which is set to undergo further restorations. However, we hear the Bruin wasn’t for sale...

Full story at https://deadline.com/2026/07/the-bruin-theater-westwood-re-opening-1237012571/.

==

*Image from https://archive.org/details/motionpictureher1301unse/page/n611/mode/2up.

Straws in the Wind - Part 433

From the Mercury News: Stanford University has ditched its Flock camera system and hired a new license plate reader firm following controversy over who can access the images captured. The South Bay university signed a contract with Genetec Cloudrunner to provide cameras that can read license plates, collecting images its public safety department can use to investigate crimes, Stanford University said in a press release. “Unlike the Flock system, the new system is designed for use within a single institution,” said Patrick Dunkley, Stanford’s vice provost for institutional equity, access, and community.

Slightly under two years ago, Stanford University installed the Flock camera system at university entrances. Stanford, at the time, said it wouldn’t share any information harvested from the Flock cameras with other police agencies. Over the past several years, concerns have emerged nationwide over Flock camera systems. Its systems, critics say, allow law enforcement to access images from other agencies via the networked license plate readers...

“These license plate reader cameras are an important investigative tool,” Stanford Department of Public Safety Chief Laura Wilson said. “They are just one of the ways that DPS is leveraging technology to help keep our community safe.”...

Full story at https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/08/police-stanford-flock-camera-school-safety-crime-privacy-internet-ice/.

Patch Money?

Yesterday, we posted about the possibility that Berkeley athletics could deal with its budgetary problems by hosting concerts in its stadium. Today we note another patch on the budget:

From the Daily Californian: In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Cal Athletics has cemented itself in history as the first ACC program to sign a jersey patch sponsorship with Dialpad, an “AI platform for customer experience.” The patch will be displayed on all 30 of the different sports’ jerseys. For the Bears, the new partnership is the largest corporate partnership in the school’s history... The decision comes on the heels of an NCAA decision from January allowing such sponsorships in college sports. According to the NCAA, the legislation is set to take effect Aug. 1, just before the college football season. The ruling allows for teams to have up to two commercial logos on their uniforms and one more on equipment during the preseason and regular season...

Full story at https://www.dailycal.org/sports/special-report/cal-athletics-inks-first-of-its-kind-partnership-with-dialpad/article_47e2c3b9-13ff-4509-8798-346584bda033.html.

Hines

From the NY Times: Thomas S. Hines, [a UCLA] architectural historian whose thorough research, crystalline writing and unending passion for the urban landscape of Los Angeles did much to cement the region’s reputation as a global center for modernist design in the 20th century, died on July 26 in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 89. His son, Taylor Hines, said the death, at a hospital, was from complications of pneumonia...

Professor Hines’s achievement was twofold: He not only demonstrated that the modernist architecture of midcentury Southern California was worthy of systematic historical attention, but he did so by expanding the scope of his field to include economic, social and cultural history. Rather than seeing the architecture of Los Angeles as an outlier to European and New York modernism — or the region as merely a refuge for European architects fleeing fascism — he showed that California modernism had its own history and dynamics...

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/07/books/thomas-hines-dead.html.

===

Lecture on LA architecture by Hines (2010):

https://dn800307.us.archive.org/0/items/sacramento-city-at-risk/Hines%20on%20LA%20architecture%205-15-2010.mp4.

Straws in the Wind - Part 432

From the Chronicle of Higher Education: The Department of Education’s... letter outlining principles for “every postsecondary institution” in the country was a bombshell for two reasons. One: The Trump administration was asking college presidents to sign onto its overarching vision for the sector. Two: Several prominent higher-ed leaders were reported to have helped draft it. The Association of American Universities was reportedly the primary partner... Douglas A. Girod, chancellor of the University of Kansas, was supposed to have been another major player. The very idea caused “great consternation to the KU faculty,” said Ronald M. Barrett-Gonzalez, a professor of aerospace engineering there.

...Andrew D. Martin, chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, issued a statement saying: “For several months, I have participated in broader discussions with the White House and other higher-education leaders about issues affecting the sector. I expect those conversations helped inform the administration’s thinking around their Monday letter. I was not involved, however, in the drafting of the letter.” ...In an interview with The Chronicle, Barbara R. Snyder, president of the AAU, described a complicated feedback process with the Trump administration in which AAU representatives had little control over drafts. She, Girod, and Ronald J. Daniels, president of the Johns Hopkins University, met with officials from the Education Department and the White House two or three times in person and a couple of times over the phone, she said. Girod and Daniels were acting in their capacity as chair and vice chair of AAU’s board. They always met with Trump officials as a group of three, Snyder said.

They provided feedback on drafts, which they did not receive copies of. They were allowed to see them only during the meetings. Without access to past drafts, Snyder said she couldn’t exactly recall what changed over the course of their meetings, but she said: “The first draft we saw was already quite different from the compact, and the final draft is quite different from the first draft. Did they listen to some of our suggestions? Yes. Did they take all of our suggestions? No.” Asked if Snyder’s description of the meetings was accurate, a spokesperson for the Education Department answered with a short statement: “We appreciate the candid dialogue with bold university leaders who are helping refocus higher education on its foundational commitment to academic excellence.” ...

Full story at https://www.chronicle.com/article/college-leaders-play-down-their-involvement-in-compact-2-0.

Music Money?

From the San Francisco Chronicle: UC Berkeley is close to reaching an agreement to host the first major concert at Memorial Stadium in 36 years, in an effort to generate fresh revenue for the school’s financially stretched athletic department. If the deal is finalized, it would mark the first concert at the stadium since Paul McCartney came to Berkeley for two sold-out shows in the spring of 1990...

The Panoramic Hill Association, comprised of homeowners near the stadium, filed a lawsuit (along with the city of Berkeley and California Oak Foundation) against UC in 2006 and reached a settlement four years later. That settlement, which included a commitment to prohibit “amplified music concerts” according to the university, expired in January...

Cal officials clarified... saying the concert with an undisclosed performer is not yet a done deal.

Full story at https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/college/article/cal-close-landing-memorial-stadium-s-first-22375938.php.

Going Down

We now have some numbers on federal funding cutbacks:

From the San Francisco Chronicle: 

Citing a steep reduction in federal research grants to the University of California under the Trump administration, UC President James Milliken is asking California’s congressional delegation for help in freeing up the stalled science funds. Grants from the National Science Foundation are down 39% from recent years, while funding from the National Institutes of Health has fallen by 22% as of July 13, Milliken told 54 members of Congress in a letter sent July 29, noting that these rates are a “substantially slower pace than historical norms.”

The slowdowns not only hamper UC by forcing hiring freezes and research delays, Milliken wrote, but they also “affect the economy, biomedical advances, technology commercialization, national security research, and partnerships between academia and industry” across the country...

UC spent $102.4 million on outside legal counsel alone in fiscal 2025-26 — a nearly 57% increase from the $65.4 million spent the year before, UC told the Chronicle...

Full story at https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/uc-congress-trump-research-funding-22376388.php.

Straws in the Wind - Part 431 (going beyond campus)

From The Dartmouth: Dartmouth Dialogues, College President Sian Leah Beilock’s signature initiative, is getting new leadership... Day-to-day operations on campus will be overseen by Stephanie Glaros, who previously worked with Dartmouth Dialogues as the facilitator of Story Corps One Small Step, a non-profit that organizes conversations across political differences. 

...[Former Executive Director Kristi Clemens said] that the next executive director, who will “optimistically” begin serving by spring 2027, will be better equipped to take Dartmouth Dialogues’s “specialness” and “apply” it to a broader model that could work in other institutions and even high schools. “We’re looking for somebody to be a national thought leader, to be somebody who has been doing this work across institutions, who’s been doing this work across different fields, and can take Dartmouth Dialogues, with their expertise and their national or international connections, to the next level,” she said.

Clemens said Jim Frank ’65, Karen Frank and their son Daniel Frank ’92’s $25 million gift to the initiative — $10 million of which permanently endowed the executive director role — “allowed” the College to begin searching for a candidate with “national recognition” to fill the role...

Full story at https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026/08/weaverbell-new-executive-director-will-build-dartmouth-dialogues-into-national-model.

Somehow, money, football, and lettuce connect at Berkeley

From the Daily Californian: Before its recent distribution of produce contaminated with cyclospora and salmonella, Taylor Farms filed a lawsuit against former executive Brian Thure, alleging more than $32 million was embezzled for unauthorized purchases including a $1 million endowment for the Cal football team. According to the lawsuit filed in June, Thure and his wife, Julie Thure, embezzled $32 million over five years by moving money through the alleged “sham entity” MTS Building and Electrical...

Full story at https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/law-and-justice/taylor-farms-sues-uc-berkeley-alumnus-over-embezzlement-including-1m-to-cal-football/article_b6f95e18-a766-4c65-b8fc-15ad9694bc20.html.

Congressional Mail

Letter from UC President James B. Milliken 

Re: Slow Spend Rate of Federal Scientific Agencies 

UC Office of the President, July 29, 2026

California Congressional Delegation

Dear Members of Congress:

On behalf of the University of California (UC) — a system of over 300,000 students, 266,000 faculty and staff, and 2.5 million alumni across ten campuses and six academic health centers — I write to express my deep concern regarding the significant slow spend rate of the federal science agencies.

The federal government’s partnership with UC has always been essential to America’s unmatched leadership in science and innovation, and today the significance of our work together is more important than ever. Reliable federal investment is essential to sustain American innovation in science and technology, train the students who will become the country’s future workforce, retain and attract researchers who are working on our country’s complex challenges and support the patients whose lives depend on this partnership. Federal investments in research have helped make UC America’s leading public research university while generating discoveries, technologies, medical advances, and economic growth that benefit the entire nation.

Unfortunately, UC’s status as the national leader in research, and America’s position as a global research powerhouse, are increasingly at risk. Across multiple agencies — and most notably at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) — funding decisions, award processing, competitive renewals, and the release of new funding opportunities appear to be proceeding at a substantially slower pace than historical norms. At NIH, as of July 13, the agency’s new award rate is 22% below pace relative to typical rates in past years. At NSF, as of July 13, the agency’s new award rate is 39% below pace relative to typical rates in past years. While NIH’s rate is improving, the pace continues to have a detrimental impact on UC and the biomedical research community’s efforts to develop new cures and vaccines to address diseases.

As a top recipient of both NIH and NSF funding, UC’s researchers and graduate students are disproportionately affected by these delays. But the consequences extend well beyond universities. Delays in federal research funding affect the economy, biomedical advances, technology commercialization, national security research, and partnerships between academia and industry. Our campuses are already experiencing the consequences of the slow spend rate. Some examples of impacts reported by some UC campuses include:

Significant delays in new awards, funding for recompetes and new research opportunities from NSF and NIH. These delays are forcing a systemwide reduction in facilities and administration costs, which support the broader research ecosystem. 

Effectively freezing the hiring of new postdoctoral and graduate students, limiting job and economic growth and reducing our ability to train the next generation of scientists. Federal grant funding supports both advanced education and the development of the skillsets needed as part of the future STEM workforce. 

Delays in onboarding faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students, which are disrupting workforce continuity and making it more difficult to recruit and retain top talent. 

Weakening university and industry research partnerships, which are critical to developing new technologies and supporting the future STEM workforce pipeline. 

Strain on critical scientific infrastructure, which depends on stable and predictable funding to maintain research capacity and operational readiness.

If not addressed in the immediate future, the slow spend rate will detrimentally impact our ability to lead the nation and the world in scientific research. I respectfully ask that you use every mechanism available to ensure that the science agencies are implementing enacted appropriations consistent with congressional intent and processing awards, renewals, and funding opportunities in a timely manner.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or if there is anything the University can do to assist with your efforts. We appreciate your long-standing support.

Sincerely,

James B. Milliken

President

--

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/letter-uc-president-james-b-milliken-re-slow-spend-rate-federal-scientific-agencies.

Today Behind Closed Doors, The Regents Will Discuss The Problem

TO THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA:

Because the membership of the Advisory Group on Research and Programs Funding Legal Issues (“Advisory Group”) includes five members of the Regents’ Governance Committee, Compliance and Audit Committee, Finance and Capital Strategies Committee, Health Services Committee, Investments Committee, National Laboratories Committee, and the Public Engagement and Development Committee there exists the potential for having present a quorum of a Regents’ Committee when the advisory committee meets.

This notice of meeting is served in order to comply fully with pertinent open meeting laws.

On Tuesday, August 11, 2026, there will be a Closed Session, Special Meeting of the Regents’ Committees concurrent with the Advisory Group to discuss Research and Programs Funding Legal Issues (Closed Session Statute Citation: Litigation [Education Code section 92032(b)(5)].)

The meeting will convene at 4:00 p.m. at 1111 Franklin Street, Oakland and adjourn at approximately 5:00 p.m.

(Advisory Group members: Regents Anguiano, Chu, Cohen, Hernandez, Makarechian, Matosantos, Milliken, Reilly, Robinson, Sarris, and Sures)

Source: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/aug26/meeting-notice_federal-august-11-2026.pdf.

Yale Deal - Part 10

From the Yale Daily News: University President Maurie McInnis failed to assure student leaders that Yale wouldn’t use students’ rights as bargaining chips in its talks with the Trump administration, said four undergraduate and graduate leaders who met with McInnis... The leaders criticized McInnis’ lack of transparency about the talks and the Yale administration’s refusal to make explicit commitments about international students, diversity programs and transgender students. McInnis also dismissed that Yale’s negotiations would mirror the deals peer institutions have made with the Trump administration in areas outside of admissions, one attendee said.

...An information page about the Department of Justice negotiations that was recently posted on the University president’s website notes that a deal would not compromise Yale’s independence, academic freedom or its responsibilities to students, faculty and staff...

Full story at https://yaledailynews.com/articles/student-leaders-say-mcinnis-meeting-left-them-unassured-on-trump-talks.

Straws in the Wind - Part 430 (athletics)

From the US Government Accountability Office (GAO): Intercollegiate athletics at four-year colleges in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) are organized into divisions, subdivisions, and conferences. Division I (DI) colleges compete at the highest level and can offer students full athletics scholarships. Division II (DII) colleges typically offer partial athletics scholarships. In both divisions, expenses for most athletic programs were greater than the revenue they generated, according to GAO’s analysis of NCAA data for the 2014–15 and 2023–24 academic years.

In the 2023–24 academic year, the 352 DI colleges reported spending a total of $20.8 billion on athletics, which largely went to team and game expenses (including travel, equipment, and medical expenses), coach and support staff compensation, and athletics scholarships. The 69 “Power” colleges in the most competitive DI conferences accounted for more than half of this spending. To help cover athletics expenses, DI college athletics programs generated $13.1 billion in revenue during the 2023–24 academic year. Power colleges generated $10 billion of this total amount, primarily through the sale of media rights to broadcast games, game day revenue (including ticket sales), and donations.

Across DI colleges, 94 percent of athletics programs, including 49 of the 69 Power colleges, spent more than they generated in revenue in the 2023–24 academic year. The median college reported a gap of $20.6 million. This gap was larger than the median a decade earlier ($12.3 million). Over this period, spending increased more than generated revenue in all DI subdivisions. As generated revenue generally did not cover program expenses, most DI colleges reported contributing substantial funding to support athletics programs. Colleges contributed a total of $7.2 billion in the 2023–24 academic year. These college contributions are funded by tuition and fees paid by students, as well as other unrestricted funds from the college, such as income from investments. College contributions indirectly include federal funds students receive in federal student aid to pay their tuition and fees...

All DII athletics programs spent more than the revenue they generated in the 2023–24 academic year. Combined, they spent $2.7 billion that year. To help cover this spending, they generated $0.4 billion and received $2.3 billion in college contributions...

Full report at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108640.