The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) Statewide Survey delivers objective, advocacy-free information on the perceptions, opinions, and public policy preferences of California residents. PPIC invites input, comments, and suggestions from policy and public opinion experts and from its own advisory committee, but survey methods, questions,…

Nationally, state funding to higher education has significantly decreased. Ironically, the trend of state divestment in higher education coincides with federal and state policies geared toward increasing degree completion rates. Through an analysis of qualitative data gathered at California higher education institutions, this paper highlights how…

This survey was conducted with funding from The James Irvine Foundation. Its goal is to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about Californians' opinions on issues affecting the state's public colleges and universities. It is the fifth annual PPIC (Public Policy Institute of California) Statewide Survey on…

This is the first in a series of MPR Research Briefs published on the outcomes and experiences of California community college students. California Community Colleges (CCC) enroll roughly two-thirds of all California college students and nearly one-fourth of all community college students in the nation. Their low fees and open-admission policies…

This edition of the PPIC (Public Policy Institute of California) Statewide Survey is the fourth in a series of surveys funded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation focusing on higher education. This survey seeks to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about the state's public higher education…

This report suggests actions and policies that will take California higher education into the 21st century with a renewed commitment to college opportunity. The report recommends a new compact among the state, colleges and universities, and students and their families. It calls for shared responsibility and asks the state and the public to…

This report continues the California Postsecondary Education Commission's ongoing examination of the nexus between postsecondary education and workforce development, focusing on the projected needs for skills and knowledge in a 21st century global economy. This is the second in a series of policy briefs developed for that project. The first brief…

Recurrent education may be defined as formal education provided outside of the traditional academic context for the purposes of: (1) continuing education in professional and vocational fields; (2) part-time instruction toward an academic or vocational degree; and (3) personal or social development. In California, while state policy encourages…

California state commission recommendations cover a wide range of issues, including freshmen and sophomore enrollment at universities, minority student and faculty recruitment, and the tenure review process. The plans would update the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education. (LB)

California state legislators are showing a lack of long-term leadership and vision in their planning for the state's higher education needs as indicated in their recent decisions regarding increased tuition and fees. California's public higher education system stands at the nexus of two powerful trends: the long-term social, demographic,…

A federal appeals court has upheld an amendment to California's constitution that bars government agencies from granting preferences based on gender or race. The California Civil Rights Initiative, or Proposition 209, was found not to violate the Equal Protection Clause. If the ruling is not reversed, public colleges and universities will be…

This report is the fifth in a series issued reviewing policies and compensation levels for public higher education and community college executives. The report presents summary information about community colleges for: chancellors and presidents of multi-college districts and superintendent/presidents of single-college districts. In its comments,…

Recommendations concerning postsecondary accreditation in California are presented, with attention to public reliance on nongovernmental accreditation. After a review of the history of accreditation and its role in institutional oversight, attention is directed to national accreditation of colleges, regional accreditation by the Western…

Long-term needs of California for postsecondary education and the state's ability to meet the needs will be reassessed by the California Postsecondary Education Commission. Assumptions of the Commission's current long-range planning effort are briefly reviewed. The scope of postsecondary education will include public and private nonprofit and…

This research report ordered by the California Senate analyzes problems and possible solutions to postsecondary education finance in that state. A first section explores the background to the issues and concludes that higher education should be a top priority of the state government now and in the future. A second section examines the problem of…