Construction on California public college campuses

Parents Forum
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<p>Given all of the attention on California public colleges given by the media, by some administration in a position where they must advocate for more funding and hence make certain positional statements, and by some CC posters who may believe the campuses are in a rapid decline with no new construction and no forward progress, here's an article today outlining some of the construction projects on some of the local campuses. I already knew there was a lot of construction going on since I've been on some of these campuses and see a lot of construction taking place but the article gives some insight.
Area</a> colleges, universities offer signs of life in construction downturn - SignOnSanDiego.com</p>

<p>A few excerpts -

[quote]

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more than $1.6 billion in public college and university building projects under way with hundreds of millions more on tap for the next few years.
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UCSD’s current five-year capital improvement program totals $2.1 billion with $478 million currently under way.
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Little of UCSD’s building budget, or that of any other institution of higher education, is coming from the state budget, the traditional source of capital funding. Instead, overhead charges that accompany research grants, plus donations, pay cover many research and health care projects. Student fees cover dorms and student service and recreation buildings; parking fees finance garages.
...
At the county’s community college districts, voter-approved bonds are funding the expansions
...

[/quote]
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<p>I wonder how most people would feel if they knew over 50% of the research money coming from the NIH, DOE, DOD, NASA, NSF, etc. are going to fund growing administrations and new buildings instead of the research that actually won the grant. That million dollar research grant your child’s lab just won? Most of it’s gone, straight to the school that’s already increasing your tuition faster than inflation every year.</p>

3

<p>UCLA stands for Under Construction Like Always.</p>

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<p>The government writes the rules on grant usage. Also the schools DO need up to date labs and equipment to do the work and attract top people. Most were built in the last science boom of the 50’s-60’s. Very out of date today. The money is not really intended to fund undergrad instruction but it does keep the top science profs around to teach too. It’s all part of the three-pronged funding model today–state funds, tuition/fees, research.</p>

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<p>RacinReaver, please show us a source for your claim that “over 50%” of research money goes to administration. Frankly, I don’t believe it. </p>

<p>As for buildings - you’re kidding, right? Do you expect cutting-edge scientific research, with its sophisticated computers and million-dollar equipment, to be conducted in trailers?</p>

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<p>it can be that high. I think Stanford got over that at one point and got introuble for charging too many unrelated expenses off. But 40%-50% would be typical “overhead” rates.</p>

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<p>Grants have 2 components; indirect costs and direct costs. Direct costs are used to pay salaries of professors and support grad students/post-docs, along with material and equipment expenses associated with the research. Indirect costs are negotiated by the institution with the funding agency, and can be as high as 40-50% of the direct costs. The institution recoups some of its overhead via the indirect cost component of grants. This is not money taken away from the researcher who obtained the grant.</p>

<p>The center of Cal Poly’s campus is pretty torn up right now with the construction of the new Math & Science building.</p>

<p>[Center</a> for Science and Mathematics | Coillege of Science and Mathematics | Cal Poly](<a href=“http://cosam.calpoly.edu/center_sci_math.html]Center”>http://cosam.calpoly.edu/center_sci_math.html)</p>

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<p>Not sure how you do science research without the lab in which to do the work.</p>

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<p>

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<p>“Back in the day” when I was applying for research grants, the indirect cost rate was typically about 45%. So, for example, we might apply for a $100K grant to cover summer salary, postdoc/grad student salary (+benefits for both), travel to meetings, computer time, and publishing costs. The university would then add $45K to that for their indirect costs, and the total grant proposal would be for $145K. If the grant was approved, then once the $145K arrived, the university would immediately skim $45K off the top and pass the rest along to the Principle Investigator (well, actually the department resource manager).</p>

<p>Active research faculty can have multiple grants this large or larger going at any one time, and so you can see why universities <em>love</em> to get into the research game.</p>

10

<p>Currently at Caltech the rate can be as high as 64%.</p>

<p>



On Campus Indirect Cost Rate<em>:  62.0% MTDC1 (10/1/2010 - 3/31/2011)
On Campus Indirect Cost Rate</em>:  64.0% MTDC1 (4/1/2011...)</p>

<p><a href="http://researchadministration.caltech.edu/osr/proposalinfo">http://researchadministration.caltech.edu/osr/proposalinfo</a>

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11

<p>"Not sure how you do science research without the lab in which to do the work. " </p>

<p>The University of Chicago did some cutting edge scientific research under the bleachers at their football field. They didn’t need no stinkin’ lab.</p>

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<p>

Given what you might find growing under the bleachers at any football field, I think that qualifies as a lab.</p>

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<p>LOL!!! </p>

<p>(why do i need 10 characters?)</p>

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<p>Cutting edge research today tends to be more detailed and complex.
On the real olden days you could just sit under a tree and make major discoveries–for the time.</p>

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<p>Info on lab costs today and why</p>

<p>[Costly</a> buildings, sophisticated labs support biotech | Daily Progress](<a href=“http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2011/jun/24/costly-buildings-sophisticated-labs-support-biotec-ar-1131835/]Costly”>http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2011/jun/24/costly-buildings-sophisticated-labs-support-biotec-ar-1131835/)</p>

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<p>[L.A</a>. Community Colleges - Billions to Spend - latimes.com](<a href=“http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-community-colleges-html,0,3512910.htmlstory]L.A”>Billions to Spend)</p>

<p>Construction in LA community colleges.</p>

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<p>No adults in charge. Obviously the CCs were the dumping ground for the inept from the top down.</p>

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<p>And then there’s the 750 Million Dollar HS in LA.</p>

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<p>Though one does have to wonder why schools build such expensive buildings for CS grad students when most of them hardly ever even go there to do their work.</p>

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<p>I don’t see as many for CS as there is not as much research funding nor the need for complex wet labs etc. Most new lab space is biosciences related.</p>