Cal Poly Rose Parade float wins award, San Luis Obispo Tribune
Cal Poly's float, a joint project of the Pomona and SLO campuses, won the Founder's Trophy as the best volunteer-built float in the New Year's Day parade

2003: Year of division, struggle -- and change, Eureka Times-Standard
Rollin Richmond, who became Humboldt State University's president last year, was officially inaugurated in May.

SDSU student held in officer's death, San Diego Union-Tribune
A 20-year-old San Diego State University student was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana in connection with a crash in Inyo County that killed a California Highway Patrol officer.

Years Later, He's Still a Poster Boy for Films, Los Angeles Times
Producer Mike Kaplan's collection of vintage prints is suitable for framing and an exhibit at Cal State Northridge.

He brings out the animal in animated film, Los Angeles Times
A biology professor works with movie makers to ensure that their creations move naturally.

Road-Widening Plan for CSUCI Delayed, Los Angeles Times
Budget crisis may detour a project considered important to growth at the new campus.

UC Merced: Taking mountain to campus, Modesto Bee
At the University of California at Merced's temporary quarters here, Roger Bales is known as one of the "snow guys."

UC Merced girds to reinvent the college library, Modesto Bee
Bruce Miller is overseeing design and construction of the library, a tricky process combining traditional paper books with information-age technology.

Costs of college extend beyond paying for tuition, San Francisco Chronicle
UC and CSU systems rely on 'campus fees.'

Reflections on 2003: Education, Los Angeles Times
Pressure to Excel as Funding Cut.

County needs more higher education, former state senator says, Lodi News-Sentinel
If county officials are to ever stop the daily commute of county residents to the Bay Area for high-paying jobs, they'll have to start by bringing higher education to the county, former state senator Patrick Johnston said.

State to write checks for college-bound, Santa Cruz Sentinel
This past year, $662 million was earmarked for the college grant program but $50 million went unspent because not enough high school seniors applied.

Schools plan forming, Orange County Register
Riordan, governor's education chief, wants to put funds, power in principals' hands.

MSJC administrator faces felony charge, North County Times
A high-ranking administrator at Mount San Jacinto College is facing felony charges in connection with allegations that he misappropriated more than $1.3 million while working for his former employer, a community college in the High Desert.

Making Hay With Education, Los Angeles Times
At one of the nation's most selective colleges, 26 isolated students pursue knowledge when they're not milking cows or mending fences.

Business Schools Make a Pitch for Women, New York Times
Business school deans, corporate leaders and women's business groups have known for some time that many young women grow up with an aversion to careers in business.

Some School Districts Challenge Bush's Signature Education Law, New York Times
A small but growing number of school systems around the country are beginning to resist the demands of President Bush's signature education law, saying its efforts to raise student achievement are too costly and too cumbersome.

How to Measure Student Proficiency?, New York Times
Two recent studies show that anomalies are widespread, as states have set widely different standards for measuring students' progress under the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind.

Bush's Education Reform Gets Poor Marks All Around, Los Angeles Times
Conservatives and liberals, and even some school officials, say the plan is too bureaucratic and needs better funding.

Economists Fault Tuition Information, Saying Reports Overstate Increases and What Students Pay, Chronicle of Higher Education
American consumers and policy makers suffer from a lack of reliable information about college tuition and financial aid for students, two economists said last weekend at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations.

Boxed Out by Ads, College Bands Press For Playing Time, Wall St. Journal
At colleges across the country, bands say their musical tradition is falling victim to revenue-hungry athletic marketing departments.

Editorial: A big challenge, Sacramento Bee
Colleges chancellor's tough job.

Opinion: Governor: Don't Gut College Prep For Working Class Californians, La Prensa-San Diego
I am an undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego and I have since had the privilege to work with EAOP, and I see the difference my program makes in the low-income communities of San Diego.

Opinion: Initiatives, not recalls, threaten democracy, San Jose Mercury-News
Following the first successful gubernatorial recall in 80 years, some have expressed dismay about the consequences of California's latest experiment in direct democracy. [Column by CSU Sacramento faculty.]

Dan Walters: There are better uses of money than opening UC Merced, Sacramento Bee
How can we entertain building a new UC campus in the middle of nowhere, relatively speaking, while basic infrastructure systems such as highways and community colleges are begging for funds?

Assembly leaders promise bipartisan effort, Modesto Bee/AP
Only a few months removed from one of the most divisive political events in California history, new leaders of the state Assembly pledged to set aside partisan bickering in an effort to bring better governance to the Capitol.

Governor Readies for Crucial Speech, Los Angeles Times
The State of the State address will call for workers' comp reform and job creation, plus tout environmental proposals.

New year brings new leaders, but legislators' old budget woes remain, Sacramento Bee
It's a new year, with a new governor and a statewide election looming, but the California Legislature reconvened at the Capitol on Monday with the same gigantic headache: massive debt.

Teachers Support Gov.'s Plan to Cut Schools by $2 Billion, Los Angeles Times
With the support of California's largest teacher's union, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to propose cutting at least $2 billion in education spending when he presents his first state budget Friday.

Schools anxious for funding news, San Diego Union-Tribune
As he struggles with a huge shortfall, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to propose a new state budget this week that does not provide a $4 billion increase in school funding required by Proposition 98.

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

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