CSUB to narrow field of presidential suitors, Bakersfield Californian
Tomas Arciniega's successor will be named by end of May, official says.

State budget cuts force HSU layoffs, Eureka Times-Standard
It was a dark day at Humboldt State University on Friday, as HSU President Rollin Richmond announced a round of employee layoffs, effective on July 1.

Candidates will visit SJSU this week, San Jose Mercury-News
From opposite sides of the country, two men who immigrated to the United States and share a passion for public higher education will cross career paths this week as they try on the job of president of San Jose State University.

Award-Winning Professor Sees Art in Science, Los Angeles Times
Carlos Gutierrez's love of color and design led him into chemistry at Cal State L.A., where his long career as a mentor has inspired many.

Labs face new era in rivalry, Hayward Review
Productive competition at stake in bid for Livermore, Los Alamos.

Gay Son's Cause Lives On in Fund at UC Riverside, Los Angeles Times
A woman who had to 'grow up' after learning a secret helps other gay students.

Town hall meeting to tackle cuts to colleges, Davis Enterprise
Democratic state senators will visit UC Davis next Friday for the first of four town hall meetings at California campuses to address the issue of budget cuts proposed for higher education.

Smoking zones pondered for MiraCosta College, San Diego Union-Tribune
Complaints up sharply, campus official says.

Indian tribes give donations to colleges' cultural studies, Contra Costa Times/AP
California Indian tribes that have raked in millions of dollars from their casinos are funneling some of that money to various universities for the study of American Indian issues.

Female researcher wins $1 million from Stanford, Contra Costa Times
A Santa Clara County jury on Friday slapped Stanford University with a $1 million judgment, finding that officials in the nanofabrication facility committed "outrageous" misconduct against a former researcher embroiled in a long-running employment dispute.

English-only format gets mixed grades, Los Angeles Daily News
Nearly six years after Californians banned bilingual education, non-English-speaking students' scores on language tests have shown improvement, but they still lag far behind other students' on standardized tests.

Summer college fees rise, Sacramento Bee
College students planning summer studies will have to spend more money than ever to cover their costs for a June-through-August education.

Bill would let students grade teachers, Sacramento Bee
Measure voluntary, but foes say it could do more harm than good.

Straight A's Can Hurt a College Education, New York Times
You can't blame the undergraduates at the nation's most selective colleges for feeling confused. They started building their résumés in high school, or even earlier, for entry into the top colleges that they had been led to believe would assure their future happiness.

For These Professors, 'Practice' Is Perfect, Chronicle of Higher Education
A category of full-time faculty members, who concentrate on teaching but are not eligible for tenure, gains favor on some campuses.

A ray of hope for schools, Sacramento Bee
West Seattle chases away clouds of confusion with new funding system.

College Rejections Stinging More Stars, Washington Post
David Weinstein is an academic star by any definition. Ten years ago, he would almost certainly have been ensured a place at one of the Ivy League colleges. But within two hours on April 1, as he checked the admissions messages on his computer, Harvard, Yale, Brown and Pennsylvania all slapped him with wait-list or rejection notices.

Audits Accuse Tennessee State U. President of Misusing Funds and Lying About Gifts, Chronicle of Higher Education
The president of Tennessee State University, James A. Hefner, used his position to get free Super Bowl tickets and then lied about it, and he inappropriately awarded scholarships to students using money from the university's private foundation, according to two state audits released last week.

Editorial: Chico State drags feet on dishonesty, Chico Enterprise-Record
Chico State University is facing another crisis that has nothing to do with a lack of money, but this particular challenge may do more to damage the core values of higher education than any budget disaster ever could.

Opinion: Diversity's False Solace, New York Times Magazine
The university where I have taught for the last three years -- the University of Illinois, Chicago -- is a large, increasingly underfinanced public university. Our classrooms are overcrowded. Our physical plant is deteriorating. Many departments cannot afford to hire any new professors.

Editorial: Is Arnold Going Wobbly?, Wall St. Journal
Aides to Arnold Schwarzenegger insist that his opposition to raising taxes in California remains as firm as ever. But in recent comments to the press, the Governor sounds an awful lot like a politician hedging his bets.

Editorial: Improve prison education, San Francisco Chronicle
If there was a way to cut costs by reducing the recidivism rate, surely it would quickly be enacted. There is -- inmate education. But strangely, Sacramento has been slow to embrace the concept.

Letters to the Editor, Modesto Bee
Respect for community colleges.

Editorial: In Class and in Prison, Los Angeles Times
By seeking to avoid trouble on high school campuses, Los Angeles school leaders are letting gangs call the shots--a practice that sends the wrong message to the district's students.

Editorial: SJSU finalists -- give them a quiz, San Jose Mercury-News
It's round two in the search for San Jose State University's new president, with two strong finalists on deck and a second chance for students and the community to get involved.

Editorial: Good riddance, 'Union U', Orange County Register
Why are taxpayers forced to pay for a university think tank devoted to exploring union issues, and, in essence, supporting their special- interest causes? The organization is called the Institute for Labor and Employment and is attached to the University of California, Berkeley, and UCLA.

Daniel Weintraub: New methods for targeting voters no help to democracy, Sacramento Bee
Thirty-five years ago, when author Joe McGinniss compared a presidential campaign to selling a bar of soap, his conclusion was dead-on but still jarring.

Editorial: Shortchanging noncredit students, San Francisco Chronicle
When it comes to state support, nearly three quarters of a million students enrolled in noncredit classes at community colleges have been relegated to the lowest rungs of California's famed public higher education system.

Workers' comp bill changes stalled, San Francisco Chronicle
Parties coming together, but bill's language lagging.

Governor faces test of clout, Sacramento Bee
If he can't reach a bipartisan workers' comp deal, he may have to go to voters.

Bustamante faces long road back, Contra Costa Times/AP
Finding an opening on Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante's schedule is not normally a problem -- even last week when the state's No. 2 executive took over the wheel while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vacationed in Hawaii.

NOTE: For additional political coverage, visit the Rough & Tumble website.

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