The New University of California Will Have No Faculty

California Assemblyman Scott Will of Santa Clarita introduced AB 1306, a bill that would create the New University of California.  What's new about this institution?  No faculty.

That's right, no professors to teach the students.  The bill states 

The New University of California shall provide no instruction, but shall issue college credit and baccalaureate and associate degrees to any person capable of passing examinations.

Students will just gain the knowledge and skills on their own and then pay the New University to take the final exam and receive academic credit. 

Students - just think.  No homework, no papers, no labs, no group projects, no tests except for the final, no all-nighters, no falling asleep in class, no professors droning on, no problems finding open seats in classes,…

CREDIT: The University of California Los Angeles

Who writes and proctors the exams if there're no professors?  The New University will buy them from "qualified entities" who will also give the exams.

Who would drive over a bridge designed and built by civil engineers alumni of the New University? If this idea is so wonderful, why restrict it to associate and baccalaureate degrees?  Who wouldn't see a physician who earned their M.D. from a medical school at the New University? 

Assemblyman Wilk to his credit does realize that even if there's no faculty, the New University does require eleven trustees and a chancellor.  This chancellor will be "authorized to employ and fix the salaries of, employees to assist him or her in carrying out the functions of the university."  How many administrators does it take to run a university that has no campus, no faculty, and no buildings?  Probably more than we can imagine.

The problem of access to higher education has a simpler solution that the ones proposed by Wilk and Darrell Steinberg.*  Invest in the existing systems: the Universities of California, the California State Universities, and the California Community Colleges.

* Steinberg introduced AB 520 that will require the state's colleges and universities to accept credits earned in Massive Open Online Courses. 

Some Unsolicited Advice for My Students, Both Current and Past

"You can not tell how the dots will connect." Steve Jobs

In this post, I am doing something, I almost never do - give advice when it hasn't been requested, but I hope you will read what I say and consider it.

Earlier this week, I posted to FaceBook a link to an article in The New Republic entitled "Bad Job Market: Why Media Is Wrong About Value Of College Degree."The gist of the piece is that "[Nothing] has stopped the nation’s leading news outlets from regularly publishing terrifying stories about college graduates unable to find decent work, particularly during economic downtimes when unemployment and insecurity were on the rise." The author's claim is that these reports are just wrong.

I happen to agree with the author. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that "Adults age 18 and older with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $51,554 in 2004, while those with a high school diploma earned $28,645." Those without a high school diploma earned an average of $19,169." If you happen to have a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) degree than your prospects are even brighter. Check out the data from PayScale.com.

But there's more to the story.

A degree is not a guarantee of a job in the field. I have often used my friend's experience to show the utility of a physics degree. One Ph.D friend after graduating went to work for the research and development department of Goodyear Tire Co. Another used his skills with computers and landed a position at an Austrian bank. Another one who earned an M.S in physics is leading the development of chips for the cell phone industry. Yet another friend has had success in IT. Four physics students of mine from Whittier College went on to engineering jobs at Boeing.

John Shumway, physics professor at Arizona State, commented on my FB post that universities are promoting the idea that a degree is some sort of ticket to a job, and he's right - they are not. There's a big push in the California community colleges to create more Associate degrees. Why? For those transferring to a four-year institution, the A.A. and the A.S. won't mean much beyond the sense of personal accomplishment. The biggest reason for the push is someone decided that a community college would be rated on the number of degrees it awards. Some CCs are actually going through the records to find former students who are within a few courses of a degree and encouraging them to return and enroll in those courses.

But there's more to the story.

Life sometimes sucks. And it sucks now. The guy who worked for Goodyear - he is now seriously underemployed. Prof. Shumway related that he knows too many people with all levels of degrees who are having trouble finding jobs. Just a couple of days ago, I chatted with a former student of mine who recently graduated and was getting phone interviews, but couldn't get any further.

But there's more to the story.

Very few people follow a path in life. I won't bore you with the various forks in the road I either chose or were chosen for me. The important thing is what Steve Jobs said. "You can not tell how the dots will connect."

So now for the two pieces of advice.

1. Everyone will tell you to study and get good grades. True, but in a few years, no one will ask you what grade you got, because no one will care. What will make the difference in the long run are the skills you develop.

2. There's some truth to the saying "it's not what you know, it who you know." Develop a network. Keep in touch with your classmates. If you have the chance to go to SACNAS or the Society of Toxicology or a meeting of any professional organization, GO! Say "Hi", shake hands, exchange business cards, follow up. You never know.

Good luck!