i dont think the UC system was effected much besides tuition being raised...

but cal states got heavily effect.

- classes cut
- furlough days
- not excepting transfers
- raise tuition

this might also apply to UCLA but i haven't heard much of the same for the UC's

especially with one as well funded as UCLA

UCLA seems normal from what I can tell..I know time are tough in Administrative areas...but we are still having a great time in studio. They organized grasshopper workshops for everyone, the Lecture Series is till top notch, and the Profs are all quality people.
We could use a new building, though.

i'm not a student, but there has been a discussion at my office with current/past ucla students. classes have been cut and there has been an added 8k professional fee.

this budget crisis is far-reaching, and UCLA is not immune to it.

While it is true that UCLA is clearly not immune to the effects of the budget crisis, as evidenced by certain defections in the faculty pool to certain less-than-public institutions, I would pretty much agree with what ff33 has said: aside from certain administrative cutbacks, everything seems to be running as normal academically and institutionally. It is not true that there have been any classes cut or furlough days or professional fee additions to the tuition. Unless of course you count the irritating but otherwise fairly innocuous $100 "lab fee" implemented by the administration for students who wish to use the lab facilities, which means basically everybody. We are still running strong, our classes are going fine, professors are still top notch, and technological facilities are still running great.

i should clarify, it is a proposed fee for the next incoming class, and has a very good chance of becoming a reality (this came from someone in the administration)...and rather than classes being cut, fewer are being offered. this is not at all bashing what i also believe to be a top notch school. students should continue to work hard and make the most of it, but also be on the look out.

who are the defectors? i am currently at an east coast institution and contemplating a transfer (hopefully with some finagling). not sure if the price im paying is worth it... also want to work in southern california when i'm done. without going into the specific details of my situation, can anyone give me some feedback? sorry to be so vague.

why so serious? Its a great school.

Hmm. How hard is it to obtain residency in California? It'd be cool to defer a year to avoid paying out of state tuition if I end up going there.

dont let me be misunderstood. i think the price i'm paying at my private institution may not be worth it...

i've got good grants, but the loans im pulling for living are going to put me into debt. id probably have 10k less debt graduating from ucla, and that's assuming i receive no grant money at any point during my time there.

although it has better "brand recognition" than UCLA, I'm wondering where it will get me in the long run, especially in light of the current collapse of the building industry. is there job security for any m.arch grad, anywhere, even from a top institution? this quandary has been talked to death on the boards, but maybe someone will want to indulge me.

tumbleweed.... You might have an argument that UCLA offers good value (or even more accurately, relatively good value), however to call it 'a bargain' is more than a bit of a stretch.

....Or am I just that out of touch with the US post-secondary system?

UCLA continues to experience severe monetary shortfalls. As with nearly all other departments, AUD’s current budget is untenable given the loss of general funds from the University.

This year’s AUD budget gap was closed by the sale of a co-owned piece of artwork. The auction yielded $400K, half of which went to AUD. This year, all Departments on campus must pay their own utility bills, about a 10% increase in expenses. Next year, AUD will join a growing list of departments that implement a “professional fee” surcharge, expected to be around $6K to $8K per academic year.

Thus far, the course offerings, number of faculty, and breadth of courses have been unaffected by the funding losses. The pedagogy remains intact, even if the budget situation is perilous.

Future academic situations will likely include more corporate sponsorship of courses, a reduction in the number of tenured faculty positions, and greater outreach to the AUD alumni and ideologically affiliated firms in Los Angeles. The effect on the curriculum remains to be seen. The school will be up for its scheduled accreditation review this academic year, but any possible changes remain the purview of the administration.

The quarterly shop fee of $100/quarter is nominally “optional”, only if you can feasibly create projects without using the Shop facilities – a dubious proposition. Despite the fee increase, the Shop remains in a dismal state; full of junk, unorganized, and lacking most basic tools. However, there are three laser cutters, two mills, and two 3D printers.

Much talk is devoted to the supposed need for a new building. Perloff Hall in its current state is rather worn-down. Built in 1957, much of the regular maintenance has been deferred for the last few years in a purposeful effort to accelerate the buildings decay and thus move up higher in the University’s rankings of facilities needing improvement. However, any new AUD building would be at least ten years out, possibly longer. While there are soft commitments for a new building fund from private benefactors, no official dedications or capital improvement campaigns are underway. Given the timeframe for replacement, the best situation for students would be a simple clean, paint, and fix of Perloff Hall – though this seems unlikely.

Is this to suggest that scholarships are significantly decreasing as well?

Jeezus it was cold in Perloff hall yesterday.

*sigh*

so does this mean they would want to accept mooooore people, or less? or is it going to be exactly the same and am i not going to get in??