6910 Awards for Innovation in Higher Ed
Program Descriptions

10 - AWARDS FOR INNOVATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

This program makes awards available to campuses that take innovative and ambitious actions to implement models of higher education that achieve the priorities identified in the mission statement.

Any University of California (UC) campus, California State University (CSU) campus, or California community college, or a group of any of these entities, may submit an application for an award to the Director of Finance until January 9, 2015.

A committee will be convened to select award recipients and determine the size of each award. The committee will consist of the following members: the Director of Finance or his or her designee, either of whom will serve as its chairperson; a member of the State Board of Education selected by the Governor; a member of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors selected by the Governor; a trustee of the California State University selected by the Governor; a regent of the University of California selected by the Governor; an appointee of the Senate Committee on Rules; and an appointee of the Assembly Speaker.

The committee will select award recipients and determine the amount of funds included in each of those awards using the following criteria:

  • Alignment: The extent to which the models credibly achieve the state's priorities at a lower cost than existing instructional delivery models and without requiring that students pay increased tuition.
  • Scale: The extent to which the models include broad participation by UC campuses, CSU campuses, and California community colleges, as well as by school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, and are able to be replicated by other entities.
  • Commitment: The extent to which the campuses or groups show commitment to achieving their models' outcomes, as evidenced by actions taken beginning January 10, 2014; the likelihood of planned actions described in their applications; the support of faculty, students, and individuals and groups who have authority to make decisions related to implementation of their models; and the ability to sustain their models.

As a condition of receiving an award, a campus or group that submits an application selected for an award will be required to show how the funds will be used and commit to reporting to the state about the effectiveness of its model. Use of the funds must be approved by the committee before the Director of Finance may distribute an award to that campus or group.