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Saturday, March 19, 2011

UC-San Diego Tightening GPA Standards for Transfers from Community Colleges

UCSD policy limits community college students: Raising GPA requirement to 3.5 will exclude many students from program (excerpt):

Pat Flynn, March 18, 2011, San Diego Union-Tribune

With transfer applications soaring and budget cuts looming, the University of California San Diego is raising the threshold on a guaranteed admission program for the state’s community college students.

For years, community college students who took specific courses and obtained a 3.0 grade-point average could count on admission under the program called Transfer Admissions Guarantee, or TAG. But faced with growing demand and limited capacity, UCSD officials in recent weeks have notified community college officials statewide that for guaranteed admission in 2012 and beyond TAG students will have to earn GPAs of 3.5 or better…

The university’s decision has prompted a sharp response from officials of Southwestern College, which serves a predominantly minority population in the South Bay. "We are very concerned,” said Angelica Suarez, vice president for student affairs at the one-college district. “It’s about access for our students. This is going to narrow and reduce the number of students who can go to UCSD.” Suarez and Jaime Salazar, Southwestern’s transfer center coordinator, said UCSD’s decision directly contradicts university policies calling for the removal of barriers for students from traditionally underrepresented groups.

“They’re always giving us lip service,” said Salazar. “They say they’re committed to diversity, but it’s all lip service. It’s all about being the Ivy League of the West, serving the elite.” ...

Full story at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/18/ucsds-new-transfer-standard-roils-community/

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

$50,600 and a foreign passport opens the door to University of California Berkeley and displaces a qualified californian from public university education at Cal.

Anonymous said...

Cal ranked # 2 in faculty earning potential. UC Berkeley tuition is rising faster than costs at other universities. Believe it: Harvard College cheaper than Cal. Breslauer’s Birgeneau, decision to ‘charge Californians higher tuition’ means Cal. nationally ranked #1 public university total academic cost - resident.

University of California negates the promise of equality of opportunity: access, affordability is farther and farther out of reach. Self-absorbed Birgeneau, Breslauer are outspoken for public UC Berkeley ‘charging Californians much higher’ tuition. Cal. Chancellor Birgeneau, Provost Breslauer leave an indelible legacy on access, affordability.

Birgeneau ($450,000) Breslauer ($306,000) like to blame the politicians, since they stopped giving them every dollar demanded. The ‘charge Californians higher’ tuition skyrocketed fees by an average 14% per year from 2006 to 2011-12 academic years. If Chancellor Provost had allowed fees to rise at the same rate of inflation over the past 10 years they would still be in reach of most middle income students. Breslauer Berheneau increase disparities in higher education and defeat the promise of equality of opportunity. An unacceptable legacy for all Californians.

Additional tax funding should sunset. The sluggish economy and 10% unemployment devistate family education savings. Simply asking for more taxes to fund self-absorbed Cal.senior leadership, old inefficient higher education models and fund excessive faculty staff compensation, burdensome bonuses, is not the answer.

UC Berkeley is to maximize access to the widest number of Californians at a reasonable cost: mission of diversity, equality of opportunity. Birgeneau’s Breslauer’s ‘charge Californians higher’ tuition denies middle income families the transformative value of Cal.

The California dream: keep it alive at Cal. fire (honorably retire) Provost George W Breslauer. Birgeneau resigned.

Opinions? UC Board of Regents marsha.kelman@ucop.edu Calif. State Senators, Assembly members.