blog post Affirmative Action and Higher Education in California By Radhika Mehlotra, Bonnie Brooks Sep 3, 2020 A November ballot measure asks Californians whether or not to repeal the state’s ban on affirmative action in the public sector, including in public higher education.
blog post Video: Higher Education & Our Economic Future By Linda Strean Oct 16, 2015 Gavin Newsom, California’s lieutenant governor, says the state needs a plan, with measurable goals, to transform its higher education system for a world that has radically changed
blog post 2020 Primary: Funding Higher Education Facilities By Patrick Murphy, Radhika Mehlotra, Kevin Cook Oct 24, 2019 A bond measure that will appear on the March 2020 statewide ballot would provide $15 billion to upgrade education buildings and facilities, including $6 billion for higher education.
Report Will California Run Out of College Graduates? By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Oct 12, 2015 California’s higher education system is a critical driver of the state’s economic progress. As the state’s economy continues to change, will its workforce be ready for the jobs of tomorrow? This report updates and extends projections of California’s workforce skills through 2030, focusing on the supply and demand for workers with a bachelor’s degree. We find that the state will fall about 1.1 million college graduates short of economic demand if current trends persist—a problem we call the workforce skills gap. Even the arrival of highly educated workers from elsewhere is unlikely to be large enough to fill this gap. Today’s college graduates have better economic outcomes than those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Over time, college graduates have seen lower rates of unemployment and higher wages than other workers—even through the Great Recession—suggesting that college degrees have become increasingly valuable in California’s labor market. The future workforce skills gap looms large. But California and its higher education institutions can take several practical steps to close it. The core of a new plan for higher education should include increasing access to the state’s four-year institutions, improving college completion rates, expanding transfer pathways from community colleges, and being smart about aid programs.
blog post What’s Next for Higher Education? By Hans Johnson, Kevin Cook, Lande Ajose Jan 13, 2022 Another uncertain year is likely, even as students and the institutions they attend seek to return to some semblance of normalcy. What are key issues to watch in 2022 in improving access, completion, and equity in California’s higher education systems?
blog post The DACA Ruling and California’s Dreamers By Joseph Hayes, Laura Hill Jun 19, 2020 What does this week’s US Supreme Court ruling mean for the nearly 200,000 DACA recipients in California?
blog post Video: Californians Concerned about Cost but Give State’s Colleges Good Grades By Linda Strean Nov 6, 2017 Most Californians say college affordability is a big problem, and most give the state’s public colleges good grades. These are among the PPIC Statewide Survey findings presented in Sacramento.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: COVID-19 Emergency Funding and California’s Higher Education Systems By Jacob Jackson, Kevin Cook, Darriya Starr, Chansonette Buck Nov 16, 2022 Just before the pandemic hit, state funding for higher education was high and increasing, student outcomes were improving, and programs for students in need were robust. COVID-19 sent shocking changes through these educational institutions’ means and methods of operating.
blog post Testimony: Increasing Community College Transfers By Hans Johnson Nov 18, 2020 In testimony for the Regents of the University of California, PPIC’s Hans Johnson discusses progress in increasing community college transfers and ways to further improve the transfer pathway.
blog post College Graduates and California’s Future By Mark Baldassare, Hans Johnson Nov 16, 2017 California’s population and economy are changing, and its higher education institutions need to increase both college enrollment and completion rates.
