Students Benefit from Delay of Fee Increase Due to Possible Trigger Cuts - California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott congratulated Gov. Jerry Brown for signing a pair of bills written to protect students who attend the system’s 112 community colleges. Assembly Billx1 32, authored by Bob Blumenfield (D-San Fernando Valley), will delay implementation of a mid-year student fee increase to summer 2012 if state revenues fall more than $1 billion below projections and trigger cuts are executed. The increase from $36 to $46 per unit was originally proposed for the spring 2012 term. - Redwood Times

UC Alumni Reluctant to Donate - As the University of California's regents look for new sources of money to make up for state budget cuts, they are finding that university alumni are not as willing to donate as they may have hoped.  In interviews, a dozen alumni who paid more modest sums for tuition several years ago say they are less apt to give if it means maintaining existing programs or staff salaries, rather than say, expanding university offerings. - The Bay Citizen

College District Gets $5 Million to Train Students for Health Jobs - Kern Community College District (KCCD) will receive $5 million of a $20 million grant to train Bakersfield College, Porterville College and Cerro Coso Community College students for high-demand health careers jobs, KCCD Chancellor Sandra Serrano announced today.  KCCD colleges won the grant in collaboration with a consortium of California community colleges. The Central California Community College Consortium, led by West Hills Community College District, submitted the only grant proposal to be funded in California. The three-year, $20 million grant is part of $500 million in grant funds to community colleges around the country. The grant monies support partnerships between community colleges and employers to develop programs that provide educational pathways to readily available, high-paying jobs. - Bakersfield.com

As California State Tuition Rises, Financial Aid Offices Struggle to Adjust - On what should have been a carefree day of reconnecting with friends and settling into new classes recently, more than two dozen students at the University of California, Berkeley, sat in uneasy silence outside the financial aid office.  The airy room on the second floor of Sproul Hall took on the desperate feeling of an unemployment office, with students waiting their turn to plead for emergency loans. - New York Times

Riverside Community College District Seeks $30 Million in Private Donations - Ceremonies are planned Friday on each of the Riverside Community College District's three campuses to mark the beginning of a fundraising drive to secure $30 million in donations to offset further cuts in state appropriations.  According to RCCD officials, the five-year "100 at 100" fundraising effort will be the largest in the district's history, concluding in 2016, when Riverside City College celebrates its centennial. - Valley News

San Mateo Community College District Braces Losses - The San Mateo County Community College District has been steadily shedding courses in recent years because of budget shortfalls, and that trend doesn't look like it will stop any time soon.  On Wednesday, the district board is expected to consider adopting its 2011-12 final budget, which projects a deficit of more than $8 million. The district plans to use reserves to help cover that shortfall, which includes $2.8 million in cuts that were enacted midyear, according to Kathy Blackwood, interim executive vice chancellor. - San Jose Mercury News

Report: UC Davis Responsible for 56K Jobs, Economic Boost - The University of California Davis does more than provide education, but it also provides jobs and billions in economic activity, according to a new report from the university. - Sacramento Business Journal

UC Tuition Could Nearly Double Under Budget Plan - University of California officials on Thursday proposed a long-term budget plan that could lead to steep tuition hikes over the next four years if the state doesn't boost funding to the 10-campus system.  School administrators presented the multiyear budget proposal at the UC Board of Regents, which is seeking to address a looming $2.5 billion budget shortfall driven by rising costs and shrinking state support. The regents discussed the plan but didn't take any action. - San Jose Mercury News

Legislature May Postpone Proposed College Fee Hike - State leaders are proposing to increase fees for community college students by $10 per unit, but that proposal may be delayed under legislation passed by California lawmakers.  The California Legislature wants to put off the fee increase from $36 a unit to $46 a unit until the summer session because cuts in California community college budgets may be made this year. - Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Under plan, UC tuition could rise by 16% a year - The University of California would raise student tuition by at least 8 percent - or as much as 16 percent - every year through 2016 under a plan that UC leaders will propose to the regents Thursday in San Francisco. - San Francisco Chronicle