TO CLIPS INDEX Clips
for January 27, 2009
Editorial: Let's use a knife, not an ax, on college
budgets
The Arizona Republic
1/26/09 7:10 PM
Arizona has made enormous progress in building
a muscular university system, powering our
education and economy. Our students benefit
from highly rated programs, such as Arizona State
University's W.P. Carey School of Business, with
five departments in the top 20 rankings of U.S.
News and World Reports. Research dollars flow
into the state, creating jobs and sparking new
companies. The University of Arizona consistently
ranks in the top three schools receiving competitive
grants from the National Science Foundation.
Rural areas get a boost from Northern Arizona
University's satellite programs around the state.
One out of seven jobs in Coconino County is
linked to NAU's presence there.
Official: State deficit to rise without budget plan
in place
The Arizona Republic
1/27/09
The Legislature must resolve the state's $1.6 billion
deficit this week or face the prospect of the budget
hole being $160 million deeper, Senate President
Bob Burns said. "If we slip into February, we are
going to be faced with another $160 million addition
to our problem, because of the way money is going
out the door," he told members of the Republican
caucus. However, as of Monday afternoon, there
was no budget plan for members to review. Burns,
R-Peoria, said that should be available this morning.
The House strategy was less clear, but Speaker Kirk
Adams, R-Mesa, said more information on the House
plan should be available today.
Briefs: Ball to benefit tumor research
The Arizona Republic
1/26/09 5:33 PM
Students from the University of Arizona College of
Medicine-Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State
University will hold their third annual Charity Ball to
benefit brain-tumor research at 6 p.m. Feb. 21 at the
Cedars in Phoenix. The annual fundraiser includes
dinner, dancing, raffle prizes and a keynote address
by Drs. Marty and Wendy Kaye of Phoenix, bringing
awareness to key research conducted in the
Phoenix area. The ball benefits Students Supporting
Brain Tumor Research.
Singh Farms helping ASU keep waste from
landfill
The Arizona Republic
1/25/09 7:35 PM
It is still a long way from its zero-waste goal, but
Arizona State University is reducing the size of
its refuse piles and turning the Tempe campus
greener in the process. ASU is sending its land-
scaping waste to nearby Singh Farms, which
composts the material and returns the nutrient-
rich material to nurture the campus' landscaping
and grow vegetables in organic gardens. Close
to a half-million pounds of plant clippings have
been diverted from landfills since July 2007,
saving the university about $20,000 in dumping
fees, said Ellen Newell, ASU facilities
management associate director.
Bennett welcomes role as secretary of state
Cronkite News Service/The Arizona Republic
1/27/09
Former Republican lawmaker Ken Bennett was
sworn in Monday as Arizona's secretary of state,
saying he welcomes Gov. Jan Brewer's call for
him to expand the office's duties by helping
develop and promote her policies. "Governor
Brewer has asked me to really be part of the
administration and to help her, maybe even
with the budget," Bennett said after taking the
oath of office in the old Capitol building.
Chandler exceeds average for college ready
students
The Arizona Republic
1/27/09 9:26 AM
Chandler high school graduates exceeded the
average of Maricopa County students in being
prepared for college-level language arts and
math courses at Arizona state universities and
community colleges. The students from Basha,
Hamilton and Chandler high schools were
included in a survey that showed how "college
ready" students, who graduated from Maricopa
County district and charter schools in 2006,
were when they entered college. The students
were on average about 87 percent ready for
college-level language arts courses and 60 per-
cent ready for math courses. Countywide, an
average of 77 percent were ready for language
arts courses and 52 percent for math courses.
hinges on education
The Arizona Republic 1/25/09
Investment in education is an investment in Arizona's
future economy. While we face an unprecedented
budget crisis today, future economic success for our
state and our children is tied directly to the young
minds we are educating now. We simply must envision
and build toward that future. We know we want to attract
industry that will provide highly-paid jobs and create a
knowledge-based economy. To do that, we must
provide our children with the tools they need to be
successful for that future.
Editorial: Our View: New
governor touts value
of freedom
East Valley Tribune
1/24/09 9:05PM
If an inauguration speech is supposed to set a
philosophical tone and style for a new administration
in power, then Arizona’s new governor, Jan Brewer,
couldn’t have done any better Wednesday. ....The
governor implied a great many things during her 13-
minute speech while offering almost no details of
what her agenda might be. Yet, the moment was a
valuable reminder of what values should guide the
thoughts and actions of every public official.
ASU Biodesign Institute
cuts 12 jobs
East Valley Tribune
1/26/09 1:58PM
Twelve jobs will be cut at the Biodesign Institute
at Arizona State University as a result of the state's
weakening economy. The high-profile institute,
involved in cutting-edge health and biology
research, is partially supported by state sales taxes,
and that revenue has declined as consumers cut
back on purchases. The job cuts will be effective
in 30 days, said Deputy Director Neal Woodbury.
The program that is feeling the pinch, called the
Technology and Research Initiative Fund, or TRIF,
was approved by voters in 2000. It provided a 0.6-
cent increase in the state sales tax to support
research at the state's three universities, said
Kimberly Ovitt, director of communications for
the Biodesign Institute.
Student leaders urge profs to give protest credit
East Valley Tribune
1/27/09 10:05 AM EST
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Some of the university students
who attend a large rally Wednesday at the Capitol to
protest possible budget cuts for higher education may
receive class credit for doing so. Student leaders at the
University of Arizona are encouraging professors on
campus to either excuse students for the day or offer
extra credit to participants as a way of encouraging as
many UA students to participate as possible. "Some
faculty members are offering extra credit or alternative
assignments for attending the event," student
government President Tommy Bruce wrote in an e-
mail to professors. "This may be a great opportunity
for your students to see politics in action, while
simultaneously helping the universities." Activists
estimate that 2,000 students and supporters will
attend Wednesday's event at the Capitol in Phoenix,
drawing students from the main campuses of the
University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University
and from Arizona State University's campuses in
metro Phoenix.
University budgets granted small reprieve
Capitol Media Services/Arizona Daily Sun
1/27/09
PHOENIX -- State universities will not take nearly as
large a cut in their budgets as originally suggested
-- at least not this year -- the head of the House
Appropriations Committee said Monday. Rep. John
Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said the proposal to
deal with the $1.6 billion deficit this year was simply
a list of options. It included taking $174 million out
of the budgets of the three universities and then
"sweeping" about another $65 million out of their
special accounts. The result has been complaints
from the presidents of the three schools that such
cuts, coming on top of $50 million taken from their
operating expenses at the beginning of the budget
year, would cripple the institutions. And the
presidents, together with faculty and students,
plan to demonstrate Wednesday at the Capitol.
University students plan protest at Capitol over
higher ed cuts
Associated Press/Arizona Daily Sun
1/27/09
PHOENIX -- Student leaders at Arizona's state
universities plan to rally at the State Capitol on
Wednesday to protest possible budget cuts for
higher education. Activists estimate that 2,000
students and supporters will attend the noon
event, drawing students from the University of
Arizona and Northern Arizona University main
campuses and Arizona State University's three
campuses in metro Phoenix. NAU student
government President Brad Busse, of Avon-
dale, said students want to remind legislators
of campaign promises to support education
and that students and other voters are watching.
NAU's projected cut balloons
Arizona Daily Sun
1/27/09
The numbers seem to constantly be in flux. But
Northern Arizona University is bracing itself for,
at best guess, $22.9 million in cuts over the
remaining months of fiscal year 2009, and
shaving another $3 million in fiscal year 2010.
The potential Legislature-mandated cuts have
forced NAU President John Haeger and his staff
to consider work furloughs, tuition and fee
increases, elimination of developing programs,
even the shuttering of dorm computer labs to
address the reductions to the university's $161
million budget. Haeger will discuss these
possibilities and others at a forum Wednesday
at the High Country Conference Center.
Guest Opinion: James M.
Gentile: Arizona must
not eat its young
Arizona Daily Star
1/27/09
Tucson, Arizona - I listened with pride last week
as students, faculty and community leaders raised
their voices in a shared concern about the future
of higher education in our state. I now add my
voice to theirs. While budget adjustments at the
University of Arizona, Arizona State University
and Northern Arizona University are necessary
given the economic downturn, it's imperative that
the details be left to the leadership within the
universities, rather than to legislative micro-
managers who lack a sense of the local (and,
frankly, statewide) educational ecology. Further-
more, the proportionate size of those budgetary
adjustments must never reflect the thinking that
our universities are an "easy target." Rather,
adjustments must reflect the mission and
purpose of higher education in Arizona.
Editorial Opinion: Brewer
should tap into Bee's
knowledge
Arizona Daily Star
1/27/09
Tucson, Arizona - We congratulate Gov. Jan Brewer
on her choice of former state Senate President Tim
Bee to head her Southern Arizona office. Bee, a
Republican who served in the state Senate from
2001-08 and who failed to unseat Democrat Rep.
Gabrielle Giffords in the November election, has
amassed a solid record of service to Southern
Arizona. The office he leads handles Southern
Arizona constituent services and represents the
governor locally.
Here's what's on the
block in this year's budget
debate
Arizona Daily Star
1/27/09
...;..Universities - The leaders of Arizona's three public
universities met with key Republican lawmakers on
Monday, asking that potential cuts to higher education
be capped at $100 million. Rep. John Kavanagh, R-
Fountain Hills, head of the Appropriations Committee,
said the universities will not take nearly as large a cut
in their budgets as originally suggested, at least not
this year. "Options" considered by GOP lawmakers
included taking $174 million out of the budgets of the
three universities and taking another $65 million out
of their special accounts. University of Arizona officials
estimate their share of the Republicans' option would
be more than $100 million this year, roughly equal to
what all three universities are willing to cut.
Students from UA may get
credit for protest
Arizona Daily Star
1/27/09
Tucson, Arizona - When more than 1,000 UA students
descend on the state Capitol Wednesday as part a
large protest decrying potential cuts to higher
education, some of the demonstrators could receive
class credit. As part of an effort to bring as many
University of Arizona students to the rally as possible,
student leaders are encouraging professors on
campus to either excuse students for the day or offer
extra credit to participants. "Some faculty members
are offering extra credit or alternative assignments
for attending the event," student government
President Tommy Bruce wrote in an e-mail to
professors.
Test may help diabetics
save their feet
Arizona Daily Star
1/26/09
Tucson, Arizona - A common blood test to assess heart
disease could help prevent people with diabetes from
having limbs amputated, a Tucson podiatrist and
researcher says. That's especially important in Southern
Arizona, "the epicenter of diabetes," says Dr. David G.
Armstrong. He published the results of his peer-reviewed
study on using the C-reactive protein test for diabetics in
this month's issue of the Journal of Foot and Ankle
Surgery. Diabetes results in the amputation of about
96,000 limbs in the U.S. every year, and most of those
are preventable, says Armstrong, who directs the
University of Arizona's new Southern Arizona Limb
Salvage Alliance.
UMC buys closed
Catalina Theater for extra parking
Arizona Daily Star
1/27/09
Tucson, Arizona - University Medical Center has bought
the Catalina Theater for $3 million and plans to use the
space for parking, although there are also long-term
plans to turn the theater into a teaching center. Kansas
City- based American Multi-Cinema Inc. closed the
Catalina 6, 2320 N. Campbell, in summer 2006. At the
time of the closing there was speculation the theater
would be sold and possibly turned into a retail
development. But because of its location and 200-space
parking garage, UMC also saw value in the property.
“The truth is, the main reason we bought it, at least for
the short term, is that we are really tight on parking over
here,” said Kevin Burns, the hospital’s chief financial
officer.
Editorial: Our
Opinion: Students sought for their money
Tucson Citizen
1/27/09
Give credit to Arizona's university presidents for their fiscal
creativity. But it is unfortunate that more out-of-state
students will be admitted to the universities - not because
of the knowledge in their heads but because of the money
in their pockets. The state Board of Regents voted 8-1 last
week in favor of a two-year increase in the percentage of
out-of-state students allowed at the University of Arizona,
and Northern Arizona and Arizona State universities.
Student Regent David Martinez, from UA, was the only
board member to vote against the policy.
Denogean:
Threatened UA poison center more than
a hot line
Tucson Citizen
1/27/09
Closing the University of Arizona's poison control center,
as proposed by the Legislature, would save the state
less than a million dollars a year. But it could cost some
lives. Here's the background. The Joint Legislative Bud-
get Committee has proposed discontinuing the $1.2
million it provides for UA's Arizona Poison and Drug
Information Center. The state funding makes up 90
percent of the center's budget. Instead, the Legislature
would add $300,000 to the $675,000 it already gives
to the Banner Poison Control Center at Good Samaritan
Hospital in Phoenix to expand its coverage to the whole
state.
State universities
to offer $100M budget cut to
lawmakers
Tucson Citizen
1/27/09 10:39
The Arizona Board of Regents and the state's three
university presidents have settled on an amount they
believe higher education could trim in a midyear
budget cut: $100 million. UA Executive Vice
President and Provost Meredith Hay gave the news
to the UA Faculty Senate Monday in a report about
the status of proposed budget cuts for this fiscal year,
which ends June 30. Hay said UA's portion of that cut
would be about $40 million, bringing UA's total
reduction of its original $443 million state
appropriation for this year to $60 million.
Protest AZ - UA students
asking professors to
play hooky
Tucson Citizen
1/27/09
UA student body president Tommy Bruce and
Stephen Bieda, graduate student council leader,
got their elders to open up their wallets and toss
handfuls of dollar bills into a red bucket at the
Faculty Senate meeting Monday afternoon in
support of sending 25 buses of students to the
state Capital Wednesday to protest proposed
cuts to higher education. The protest is
scheduled for noon, directly following a press
conference being held by UA President Robert
Shelton and his counterparts at ASU and NAU.
Opinion: Be careful what you’re
advocating for
ASU Web Devil
1/27/09
On Wednesday, the Arizona Students’ Association,
a student advocacy group for Arizona’s public
universities, will protest the state Legislature’s
proposed budget cuts at the Arizona state capitol
building in Phoenix. The Legislature’s plan would
slash 40 percent of the state-provided funding for
Arizona’s public universities. ASU officials and
students have decried this proposal. President
Michael Crow even said Arizona’s future looks
more like a Third World country that of any
neighboring states. A 40 percent cut should
concern everybody. Arizona’s not likely to
become the next Somalia, but his point was
that the quality of our education could plummet.
But where was this concern in November?
Editorial: Better than U(A)
ASU Web Devil
1/27/09
When the ongoing saga of the proposed state
budget cuts starts to make us feel blue, there
is always one thing that can constantly renew
our spirits: listing ways that ASU is superior to
UA. Last year, UA had a lower average high-
school GPA for its incoming freshmen than
ASU did. It also had a lower retention rate.
The number of undergraduate degree
programs offered at UA was more than
doubled by ASU, as was their number of
National Merit Scholars. Similarly, the ASU
women’s basketball team nearly doubled
UA’s score this past weekend. In addition,
ASU had more Fulbright scholars and more
undergraduates on USA Today’s All-USA
College Academic First Team.
Budget sparks uproar
ASU Web Devil
1/27/09
Student leaders from all three Arizona universities
will protest the budget proposals at the State
Capitol on Wednesday. The Arizona Board of
Regents will hold a press conference starting at
11 a.m., and the protest will continue afterward.
Buses are scheduled to pick up students outside
of the W. P. Carey School of Business near South
Normal Avenue and East Orange Street. Four
buses will leave at 10 a.m. and four more will
leave at 11 a.m. Proposals by Arizona legislators
sparked a statewide fight for education funding
this month as students and education officials
speak out against unprecedented budget cuts.
The plans, proposed by Sen. Russell Pearce, R-
Mesa, and Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain
Hills, call for the university system to cut its
budget by up to $243 million before July and
up to $388 million the following year, ASU
officials said.
Student creates Web site to speak
out on budget
cuts
ASU Web Devil
1/27/09
Amid concern about the Arizona Legislature’s
looming budget cuts to education, one ASU
senior is determined to appeal to legislators before
schools lose funding, and thousands have joined
him in the fight. Molecular biology senior Haroon
Saleem spent the first week of his final semester
at ASU creating www.Speakupnowaz.org,
a Web
site that gives Arizonans an avenue to appeal to
their legislators through e-mail. Visitors can contact
legislators, read details about the budget proposals,
find out about events and protests, and see statistics
about education in Arizona. More than 17,700 e-
mails have been sent through the site.
Bill would equalize university
funding
ASU Web Devil
1/27/09
State legislators could pass a bill in February that
would require the state to fund all three universities
equally on a per-student basis. House Bill 2246
would distribute state funding equally per student,
meaning the funding a university receives will be
determined by the number of students enrolled
there. Proponents say the new bill could put an
end to discrepancies in state funding they say
heavily favor UA. The measure has gained bi-
partisan support from members of the House
of Representatives and the Senate, including
sponsors Laurin Hendriz, R-Phoenix; Rep. Lucy
Mason, R-Prescott; and Rep. Andy Biggs,
R-Gilbert.
Couple donates $1.3 mil statue
ASU Web Devil
1/27/09
“Meet me by the horses at two o’clock.” That phrase,
or something similar, is what Robert Mittelstaedt,
dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business, hopes
will work its way into conversations in the ASU
community. On Saturday, “Spirit,” a large bronze
statue depicting five horses was installed outside
of the business school. The school received the
$1.3 million statue as a donation from Morton
and Donna Fleischer. Donna Fleischer is an
ASU alumna.
$100M in budget cuts offered
UA Daily Wildcat
1/27/09
At Monday's Faculty Senate meeting, Provost
Meredith Hay announced that the state university
presidents met this past weekend with Arizona
House Speaker Kirk Adams in Phoenix where
they delivered to the legislature a viable number
they say the state could realistically cut from the
universities' budget: $100 million. "We deliberated
all weekend with the presidents and the Board of
Regents, and the number that was delivered for
the system in total by Presidents Boyce and
Shelton was around the neighborhood of a
$100 million cut," Hay said.
Opinion: Budget cuts will lead to 'dumbing down'
of courses
UA Daily Wildcat
1/27/09
The Board of Regents suggested increasing the
number of out-of-state students (higher tuition)
while maintaining the levels or even increasing
the number of in-state students at UA. We have
had record freshmen classes in the past two
years and that has not staved off this crisis. Each
of the past fall semesters, I have actually taught
two lectures of TRAD rather than one to
accommodate 100 more students. This has
required an increase in the number of graduate
student teaching assistants, so that has been of
some help to graduate students in need of
support (almost all of them). But even with the
extended TRAD courses, there are tens of
students still clamoring to get into Gen Eds or
any classes to make a full schedule. Anyone
can see, and President Robert Shelton pointed
out at the same meeting, that the result of firing
lecturers and staff and decreasing the number
of graduate student assistants will be a record
number of students stuck in even larger TRAD
and INDV courses and even 200 and 300-level
content courses.
Distance-learning saves time, resources
UA Daily Wildcat
1/27/09
Students today are busier than ever before; and
with a struggling economy, many cannot afford
to waste more time or money than necessary on
their way to earning their college diplomas. To
aid in this, the UA offers roughly 220 Web
delivered classes and other distance-learning
programs for everyone from ambitious students
looking to get ahead, to the full-time workers
seeking an entire degree without ever setting
foot in a classroom. Mike Proctor, Dean of the
UA Outreach College said that the UA offers
students online classes through a variety of
different channels.
UA’s Eller MBA Surges Ahead in Global
Rankings
UA News
1/26/09
The University of Arizona Eller College of Management's
MBA was recognized among the world's best, according
to Financial Times. The UK-based news organization has
released the results of its 2009 global MBA survey, which
place the Eller MBA 5th among U.S. public universities,
19th among all U.S. institutions and 41st in the world.
The McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship was recognized
at No. 9 in the world. "The Financial Times rankings are
significant because they measure educational return on
investment," said Paul R. Portney, dean of the UA's Eller
College of Management. "Graduates of the program are
reporting strong career progress and salary gains – the
tangible results that are essential in gauging the success
of any MBA program."
Senate to use
Pearce/Kavanagh proposal as
starting point for budget
azcapitoltimes.com
1/26/09
The starting point for the Senate's work on closing
the nearly $1.6 billion gap in the current year's bud-
get will be the deep spending cuts and other options
identified earlier this month by GOP budget leaders.
Senate President Bob Burns said today that a bill
reflecting the options identified by Sen. Russell
Pearce and Rep. John Kavanagh, the Appropriations
chairs in each chamber, will likely be introduced
tomorrow. That bill will be the basis for the Senate
Appropriations Committee to craft a budget fix later
in the week. The options included $758 million in
state agency cuts and $668 million in sweeping
money from programs that have dedicated funding
sources.
Research and Inventions Earn Big Bucks for
American Universities
The Chronicle of Higher Education
1/27/09
At least 27 universities earned more than $10-million
from licensing the rights to vaccines, drugs, medical
devices, and other intellectual property in 2007,
according to a report released yesterday by the
Association of University Technology Managers. Ten
universities earned more than $50-million each from
license income in 2007. Almost 200 universities,
hospitals, and research institutes responded to
the annual survey, which started in 1991. From those
institutions, 686 new products were introduced into
the marketplace and 555 new start-up companies
were established to take the technology to market.
Regents: We'll cut $100 million but do it our way
Arizona Guardian.com 1/26/0909 21:56
The Arizona Board of Regents late Monday sent its
own spending proposal to the Legislature that would
cut $100 million from the state's three universities
for the current fiscal year. In a document that
contained general outlines but purposely few
specifics, the universities envision layoffs, furloughs,
hiring freezes, increased class sizes, fewer courses,
eliminating some degree programs, cutting services,
delaying maintenance and reducing scholarships
and tuition waivers. The proposal also anticipates
increased costs and fees for students and possible
tuition increases for the next school year. The new
reductions would bring the universities' total cuts to
$150 million for FY 2009, a cut 13.2 percent larger
than any other major budget unit of the state, the
regents' proposal said.
Russell Pearce ready for budget crunch time
Arizona Guardian.com
1/26/09 20:36
Sen. Russell Pearce, the opinionated, free-speaking
Appropriations Committee chairman will have to use
his most persuasive negotiation skills this week as
he and the GOP leadership team try to cobble
together enough votes to approve the revised 2009
state budget. They're caught between a $1.6 billion
deficit and a self-imposed Thursday deadline. The
idea is to alter the government's spending patterns
before the state has to pay its regularly scheduled
February expenses. Pearce and other legislative
leaders worked mostly behind closed doors before
releasing a $1.9 billion list of proposed budget-
cutting options last week. The secretive process
was essential to keep the budget process on a fast
track, Pearce said. However, the tactic drew the ire
of some rank-and-file Republicans, plus Democrats
and outside stakeholders including Arizona State
University president Michael Crow, who all feel they
were ignored when important decisions were being
made.
Burns says
Ariz. budget fix centers on listed cuts
East Valley Tribune/Forbes.com
1/27/09 07:57 AM EST
Republican lawmakers on Monday pressed to close
a big shortfall in Arizona's budget amid mixed signals
on how closely their planned legislation will track
controversial spending cuts proposed by key committee
chairmen. Meanwhile, House Democrats proposed
alternative proposals that they said would tackle the
state's immediate budget crisis without most of the
damage they ascribe to Republicans' suggestions for
cuts throughout state programs, including public
schools and universities.
Eating Crow: The Reality of Higher
Education
Sonoran Alliance
1/26/09
Dr. Matthew Ladner has a brief but poignant fact check
on the debate taking place over the state budget and
Higher Education. We thought you might want to know
some basics: Over the next month, we are going to
hear plenty of complaining and screaming as public
education advocates pull out the stops in an effort to
prevent the State Legislature from making cuts. Now
is the time to watch Republican lawmakers carefully
and urge them to do the right thing in ensuring the
budget gets balanced and cuts are across the board.
It’s time to sacrifice or go bankrupt. “We could eliminate
the nursing school, the journalism school, the law school
and the engineering school and still not meet these cuts,”
Arizona State University President Michael Crow told the
East Valley Tribune regarding proposed higher education
cuts. The Arizona Republic quoted President Crow as
saying that the budget proposal put Arizona “on the path
to resembling a Third World country.” If the full $150M cut
for ASU came to pass, however, ASU would still be getting
more general fund revenue in 2009 than they received in
2006. In 2006 Arizonans enjoyed access to journalism
training, nursing programs, law schools, electricity and
indoor plumbing, despite ASU’s somewhat smaller
budget.
Napolitano Departs, AZ GOP Cannibalizes Education
to Meet Budget Shortfall
The Huffington Post
1/27/09 12:38 PM (EST)
PHOENIX -- The new Homeland Security Secretary
Janet Napolitano, who was known as the "Education
Governor," had some parting advice for her Arizonan
colleagues who face a $1.6 billion budget shortfall.
She implored the Republican-led legislature to make
"wise choices" in cutbacks that would not "dim the
bright future" of Arizona. Republicans already
controlled both the Arizona House and Senate, and
with Napolitano gone, Republican Secretary of State
Jan Brewer automatically ascended to the governor-
ship. Although Brewer has said little about her strategy
to meet the budget shortfall, Republican leaders in
both the House and Senate have proposed plans that
would dramatically alter public education in the state
of Arizona.
ASU and Maricopa launch
partnership
Media-Newswire.com
1/27/09
TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University and the Maricopa
Community Colleges are entering into an expanded
partnership to increase the number of students who
complete a community college degree and go on to
graduate from ASU. ASU and the colleges have set a
goal of doubling the number of students transferring to
ASU from the community colleges, and increasing their
success at the university. The agreement emphasizes
academic preparation, increased student advising and
financial support, and better sharing of data and
information to make the transfer process smoother.
Students will benefit from priority or guaranteed
admission to ASU degree programs when they
follow a prescribed course sequence.