UMass Report Forecasts Job Growth

UMass Boston’s Donahue Institute issued its report late last week on the state of the state’s economy, saying that Massachusetts is ready for job growth and on an upswing.The Lowell Sun quoted UMass Boston professor and economic analyst Alan Clayton-Matthews saying, “the state economy is experiencing a recovery but ‘not yet firing on all pistons.'”The Sun also interviewed UMass Lowell economics professor Robert Forrant, who said, “I’m not so optimistic yet that hiring is on the horizon…The capacity of plants in the Northeast aren’t being used fully. I think there is still more that could be gotten from the current work force.”

UC Berkeley Budget Cuts May Reach to $39 Million

The Berkeley campus of the University of California is expected to be facing up to $39 million in budget cuts, with $23 million in cuts called a best-case scenario, reports the Daily Cailfornian.”University outreach programs stand to lose all $1.6 million in state funding if the budget passes. However, academic support and libraries will take the heaviest cut with a $10 million reduction,” the student newspaper wrote, quoting the vice chair of Berkeley’s Academic Senate as saying, “The university is one of the premier resources of the state of California. As a public university, it should get more public support… “The state is in a desperate situation. This is the best case, in a worse case situation.”The campus has an April deadline to turn in their plans for cuts.

Quote of Note

“They don’t make much of it…It’s not likely to win you votes, especially in Lubbock, Texas,” said John Gaddis, Yale University history professor, to The Boston Globe on presidential candidates who downplay their Yale education.