Higher Education

California is a national leader in data privacy. Yet state law has gaps that allow companies to collect and sell students’ data.

Local police forces get money every year from the Department of Homeland Security to assist with border patrol operations. This includes the UC San Diego Police Department, which helps monitor for smuggling along the coastline.

California’s community colleges are now giving college credit for students’ previous work experiences. The state has a goal of rapidly expanding access to these credits, though tracking progress on that goal has been difficult so far.

The latest bill would allow Southwestern College to create up to four additional bachelor’s programs aimed at workforce needs in south San Diego County.

Lawsuits and Trump administration policy changes are targeting trans athletes, bans on outing by school staff and health care. Some California policies are in jeopardy.

Faculty representation at Cal State is lagging far behind the growing number of Latino students. That burdens the small circles of Latino faculty who take on more mentorship tasks, many times in non-tenure positions and for lower pay.

In their approach to higher education, Trump and Newsom shared one thing in common this year: reducing funding for colleges and universities. The federal government pulled back research funds while the state, facing a deficit, imposed austerity measures on the UC and Cal State University systems.

California State University last year launched a pilot program to attract more students to the university system and to steer some to campuses that have been struggling with enrollment declines.

Some community college districts in California say enrollment is up by more than 10%, though official numbers have yet to be released. Historically, college enrollment fluctuates depending on the strength of the economy.

The Trump administration is now requiring new H-1B visa applicants to pay $100,000. School districts that depend on hiring foreign workers to fill teacher jobs, especially in special education and bilingual education, say they can’t afford the new fee.