Hesperia man graduates with quadruple major, Press-Enterprise
Physics Professor Paul Dixon of Cal State San Bernardino calls quadruple major Victor Sciortino a pure scholar, "an extremely bright student who enjoys the material and wants to know it all."

Report challenges CSU minority hiring, Salinas Californian/AP
Black and Latino teachers at California State University are underrepresented despite an increase in minority hiring by the nation's largest public university system over the past 16 years, according to a report released Wednesday. [CSU Monterey Bay references]

Number of minority professors drops, Monterey Herald
CSU Monterey Bay is just above average among California State University campuses in hiring minority professors but is still becoming increasingly white, studies related to California Research Bureau data suggest.

School nears end of term, San Diego Union-Tribune
On a sunny autumn day four years ago, national and local labor leaders joined university academics and school district officials to promote an innovative teacher-run campus that would be steeped in professional development and guarantee all graduates college admission.

CSUF and UCI make top 5 in U.S. for minority grads, Orange County Register
Only 3 public universities granted more such undergraduate degrees in 2001-02.

Universities here top U.S. in degrees to minorities, Oakland Tribune
UC and CSU schools held 8 of 10 highest spots in the national listing in a black education magazine.

A chance to learn, Sacramento Bee
Besides hard work, nothing is ordinary about the path that brought Luís Leyva to UC Davis. Leyva is a graduate of a high school equivalency program for migrant workers run by California State University, Sacramento.

Fresno State urged to drop new software, Fresno Bee
$18.4m cost for PeopleSoft system should be spent on instruction, faculty union says.

HSU prepares for even more cuts, Eureka Times-Standard
Humboldt State University, already planning for budget cuts of $8.1 million, may now need to cut an additional $1.4 million from its budget.

Beliefs tested for 4 in Capitol, Sacramento Bee
For four Sacramento-area lawmakers, the debate over the most severe budget crisis in California's history involves much more than dollars and cents.

Assembly rejects 2 spending plans, Sacramento Bee
California legislators concluded the final workweek of the fiscal year Friday in a state of budget paralysis, as two more attempts to pass a spending plan failed.

Budget Hopes Stuck in Neutral, Los Angeles Times
Facing a Tuesday deadline, neither GOP nor Democrats appear ready to make a deal.

Gridlock comes to a head, Los Angeles Daily News
First, California will stop paying vendors who sell goods and services to the state and elected officials will stop getting their pay. Then, funds for community colleges and schools will be cut back, forcing them to borrow, if they can, to keep operating.

Calif. Near Financial Disaster, Washington Post
Any day now, community colleges here may begin telling faculty members that they cannot be paid and students that summer classes are canceled.

Professor camps out to protest lack of tenure, Ventura County Star/AP
A biologist known for his outspoken criticism of genetically modified crops was camping out at the University of California, Berkeley, on Friday to protest his lack of tenure.

Modestan going to UC exemplifies how college is possible for anyone, Modesto Bee
Tescia Ross is one of 16 people featured on a new UC Web site that shows how students -- ranging from those whose families make $15,000 to $140,000 to those who are financially independent -- manage the cost of a UC education.

Other schools may try UC admissions system, Sacramento Bee
As higher education officials nationwide scrutinize the legality of their admissions policies, the race-neutral system used by the University of California could become a model for large public colleges that must redesign the way they select students.

UC offers contract to lecturers' union, Contra Costa Times
Non-tenure track lecturers, who teach a good share of the University of California's undergraduate classes, recently won more job security and better pay.

Colleges Plan 64% Tuition Jump for Fall, Los Angeles Times
Students at Ventura County's two-year campuses face a $7-per-unit hike to $18 once the Legislature approves a fee increase.

Gates foundation vows to give $1 million for schools, Contra Costa Times/AP
Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates' charitable foundation promised the state $1 million to boost student performance in its high schools, state officials announced this week.

Organizations Rally for $200-Million Supplemental Bill to Finance AmeriCorps, Chronicle of Higher Education
Corporations and nonprofit organizations are rallying around a supplemental $200-million appropriations bill to ensure that AmeriCorps, the national-service program, will have enough money to operate effectively next year.

In Schools Case, a Certainty: Only 400 Days to Comply, New York Times
In its landmark decision on Thursday striking down New York State's method of financing public education, the state's highest court was perhaps most clear in setting a deadline: the Legislature and Gov. George E. Pataki have until July 30, 2004 — a total of 400 days — to set things right.

Decisions May Prompt Return of Race-Conscious Admissions at Some Colleges, Chronicle of Higher Education
For the vast majority of college-admissions offices, last week's landmark rulings on affirmative action by the U.S. Supreme Court are more likely to be the topic of applicant essays than a factor in admitting students.

Colleges Want Change in Visa Regulations, Chronicle of Higher Education
Four advocacy organizations representing thousands of colleges and universities sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell in June asking that he postpone the State Department's requirement that nearly all international visitors to the United States undergo an in-person interview before they get their travel visas.

Oracle's Merger Hurdles Get Higher, Los Angeles Times
As CEO Ellison tries to mollify targeted PeopleSoft clients, integration risks rise.

Feds extend review of Oracle's PeopleSoft bid, Contra Costa Times
The Justice Department will extend its antitrust review of Oracle Corp.'s $6.3 billion hostile bid for PeopleSoft Inc., which could further complicate Oracle's efforts to take over its rival, according to several published reports.

Antitrust suit gains supporters, Contra Costa Times
Pressure is mounting on California to join an antitrust lawsuit to block Oracle Corp.'s $6.3 billion hostile takeover bid of Pleasanton's PeopleSoft Inc.

Letters: CSU computer system, Long Beach Press-Telegram
Dan Walters' May 26 column regarding California State University's integrated information technology system relies on the premise advanced by some of my colleagues that the implementation of the new system is a debacle, and doesn't work.

Editorial: Two academic worlds, Long Beach Press-Telegram
Scholars: CSU Long Beach is becoming a first choice.

Other view: State pension fund hit by slow market, Sacramento Bee
This fiscal year, June 2003-04, California will pay more to cover its state employee pension obligations.

Opinion: A Decision That Universities Can Relate To, New York Times
Last week's Supreme Court decisions in two cases involving admissions at the University of Michigan did not have the usual trumpet-blare characteristics of a judicial landmark.

Opinion: Community colleges: Underrated treasures, Sacramento Bee
Spare them the ax: Where else can you get second chance?

Opinion: Two in three voters say raise taxes for schools, Sacramento Bee
Gov. Gray Davis declared when he was sworn into office in January 1999 that his "first, second and third priority is education." This message clearly resonated with Californians.

Dan Walters: We act like a Third World nation -- so treat us like one, Sacramento Bee
When the World Bank is finished with Chad, it should come to California, whose public finances these days resemble those of a Third World corruption pit more than those of a modern, presumably enlightened, industrial society.

Editorial: UC system: 'What, me worry?', Bakersfield Californian
The budget crisis does not concern the University of California Board of Regents.

Editorial: Ho-Hum ... What Crisis?, Los Angeles Times
The state Legislature took the weekend off, acting like tonight's midnight deadline for finalizing a state budget is nothing.

Opinion: Colleges Will Just Disguise Racial Quotas, Los Angeles Times
In its affirmative action decision last week, the Supreme Court announced that explicit racial boosts, like the 20 points awarded to blacks by the University of Michigan's undergraduate admissions office, are unconstitutional.

Opinion: College Rulings Add Insult to Injury, Los Angeles Times
Court's upholding of admissions preference glosses over need for better early schooling.

Opinion: Mr. President, Urge Republicans to End Davis Recall Bid, Los Angeles Times
Some people say that when California sneezes, the entire nation gets a cold.

Opinion: Numbers Game, Los Angeles Times
When it comes to counting dropouts, the LAUSD seems unable to add.

Editorial: Lack of credentialed teachers a harsh reality, San Jose Mercury-News
In an ideal world, every student would learn from competent teachers.

Initiatives could bring Davis foes to the polls, Orange County Register
Gov. Gray Davis' fate may be determined by, of all people, Ward Connerly. If a recall election is held this fall, the question of whether Davis should be removed won't be the only the issue voters decide. Right alongside it will be Connerly's "racial privacy" initiative.

Firms' Prop. 13 Savings Are Coveted, Los Angeles Times
Businesses pay as little as a nickel a square foot in property tax. Some state lawmakers question the fairness and see a chance for new revenue.