Mildred García confronts a budget shortfall, declining enrollment and complaints about how Cal State officials have handled sexual misconduct allegations.

Breaking from over a decade of traditionally not raising tuition, Cal State leaders last week released a proposal that would start annual increases at every one of the 23 CSU campuses beginning in the fall of 2024 as the only way to make up a shortfall between operating costs and revenues.

Workers who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and are enrolling in a college program have until June 15 to apply for a California relief grant to receive up to $2,500 as state lawmakers seek to cut programs to plug a budget hole.

Increasing CSU tuition up to $8,000 over a five-year period by 2030 might not be enough to cover the system's spending, as faculty press for 12% pay increases.

Under his May budget plan, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the UC and CSU to get more state student housing in 2023-24, but the universities would have to borrow the money through bonds. The state would pay the interest on the bonds annually.

Enrollment is down at the University of California and the Cal State system, which has frustrated lawmakers who gave both systems more money to increase their number of students. Parents say their children who have with GPAs above 4.0 but aren’t accepted to a UC of their choice.

California’s community colleges say they aren’t going to close the gaps in graduation rates between racial and ethnic groups, missing goals set by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

A last-minute bill would force Cal State to give non-faculty staff raises, costing the system almost $900 million over 10 years — money the system says it doesn’t have. Cal State may be forced to cut programs at San Jose State and other campuses and raise tuition if it doesn’t get enough state money.

A one-time state program worth $500 million has opened up from its pilot program to support displaced workers who want to acquire new job skills. 

The Cal State system says current plans to expand Cal Grants would leave out more middle class students at San Jose State and other CSUs in the future, even though there would be a net gain of eligible students overall. Supporters of the expansion say Cal State officials are telling the whole story.

By officially prioritizing part-time work as a way for students to pay for college, the University of California moved closer this week to its goal of students avoiding burdensome loans by 2030.

Roughly 360,000 UC and CSU students may soon receive about $1,000 to $3,000 to fund their educations this fall as part of California’s effort to make college debt-free. Another form of aid to help more community college students has a less clear path

The University of California and the UC lecturers union reached an agreement after years of negotiating, heading off a strike planned for today.