University of California

Commentary

A call for a California higher education compact for Black people

A new California compact has to mobilize the entire postsecondary education system to advance racial justice in the teaching mission.

By

Guest Commentary

• December 21, 2020

College Beat

Fauci: Vaccines should allow CA colleges to teach in-person next fall

While coronavirus cases are surging across California and overwhelming intensive care units, the country’s top infectious disease expert said today he’s “cautiously optimistic” that college students can return to campus in the fall. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he anticipates that COVID-19 vaccines will begin to […]

By

Maddie Beck

• December 18, 2020

Students walking across UC Merced campus on August 2, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Education

New data sheds light on parent debt burden for college students

The new information gives new insight into intergenerational debt. Experts argue that the federal loans taken out by low-income parents can be a net negative for the family.

By

Mikhail Zinshteyn

• December 10, 2020

People gather near the cliffs as the sun sets in Isla Vista on Dec. 8 2020. Photo by Max Abrams for CalMatters

College Beat

To spring break or not? California colleges weigh options as pandemic worsens

Updated 12/21/20 Carlos Acosta’s fall semester at the University of Southern California was a lot more grueling than he expected — and it wasn’t just because of the Zoom classes. In an effort to minimize travel during the coronavirus pandemic, the university shortened the semester so it ended before Thanksgiving, and didn’t include any multi-day […]

By

Meghan Bobrowsky

,

Emily Forschen

and

Matthew Reagan

• December 10, 2020

Commentary

Student entrepreneurs adapt to pandemic and thrive

Student entrepreneurs, undaunted by the COVID-19 pandemic, are prepared to adapt and turn their ideas into successful businesses.

By

Guest Commentary

• December 5, 2020

WhatMatters

California’s $26B surplus raises tough choices

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, November 19. Spend or save? Even with a rosier-than-expected budget forecast, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have some hard choices ahead of them. Wealthy Californians who made financial gains amid the pandemic and a booming stock market helped the state reap $26 billion in one-time surplus funds, according to […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• November 19, 2020

Nona Claypool, estudiante de tercer año en UC Berkeley y coordinadora de estudiantes transferidos, en Mosswood Park en Oakland el 28 de octubre de 2020. Claypool, quien enfoca su trabajo en reclutar estudiantes transferidos nativos americanos de colegios comunitarios, dice que a menudo son los estudiantes quienes se beneficiarían más de la educación superior que no pueden acceder a ella. Foto de Anne Wernikoff para CalMatters

CalMatters en Español

La medida de la balota de acción afirmativa falla, pero estos estudiantes aún luchan por diversificar sus universidades

La Proposición 16 fracasó, pero los estudiantes de las universidades públicas y las universidades de California han estado tratando de aumentar la representación de los estudiantes de color en sus campus durante años y continuarán sus esfuerzos.

By

Kayleen Carter

and

CalMatters Staff

• November 4, 2020

Breanne Yee, 19, a third year student at Cal State Long Beach studying political science, sits for a portrait at the Sunset District library near her parents’ home in San Francisco on Oct. 28, 2020. Yee, who grew up in the Sunset District, spent much of her childhood studying at the library and considers it almost like a second home. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

College Beat

Challenging the model minority myth: Asian-American students divided over affirmative action

The moment he stepped into Clovis High School, Chali Lee — now a first-year at Clovis Community College — left his Hmong identity outside its doors. Other students, he said, saw him as just another Asian male, another model minority — someone taking up all the seats at colleges. Lee knows it’s not that simple. […]

By

Janelle Marie Salanga

• October 28, 2020

Saxon Stahl, a fourth year student at UC Santa Cruz, stands in the woods across from their residence hall on Oct. 14, 2020. The heavily wooded campus had a mandatory evacuation for more than a week during the CZN Lightening Complex fires in August. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Higher Education

Is your college in a severe wildfire zone?

Of California’s nearly 150 public colleges and universities, 18 are within areas Cal Fire deems at high risk from wildfires. In addition to evacuation plans, colleges have different fire mitigation tactics they can employ to minimize risk.

By

Mikhail Zinshteyn

and

Erica Yee

• October 15, 2020

Gov. Gavin Newsom at a press conference in the state capitol following the first COVID-19 death in California. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

WhatMatters

California’s big budget bet fizzles out — will Newsom support new taxes?

Well, it doesn’t look as though California’s big bet on a federal stimulus package that would allow the state to reverse $11 billion in budget cuts is likely to pay off. In a Tuesday tweet that sent shock waves through Wall Street, President Donald Trump announced he was ending negotiations on a coronavirus relief package […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• October 7, 2020

University Of California