Re: Graduate student support
Posted by WARREN MOSLER on March 17th, 2009
>
> On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 11:19 AM, James wrote:
>
> Warren
>
> It has been a while since we’ve spoken; I hope you are doing well.
> As you can imagine we have had a busy and interesting year. The
> University, like many others, is dealing with budget issues. It looks
> like we will not get hit too hard this year.
>
Well done!
>
> We finally have a chancellor and provost who work with us much more
> cooperatively. The governor has pledged no cuts to the university in
> exchange for no tuition increases and we hope the legislature agrees.
>
> Our program is prospering. A New York Times articles ranked us as
> one of the top three heterodox programs in the US. We now have 48
> Ph.D. students, the largest program in the region, and have received
> several applications for next year.
>
Excellent!
>
> Several students are writing dissertations and will graduate
> in the next year.
>
Are they ready for my pop quiz??? :)
>
> I might add that this year we have reached another goal for the
> program. When we started we knew we would have to go slowly
> and hoped we could attract good students. We wanted to attract
> international students, but we also wanted to build the program
> around students from the US. This year our applications are
> more than half from American students and of very high quality.
>
Good to hear it!
>
> We will soon be renewing assistantships for those now being
> supported and making offers to new students. We have
> selected four for new offers and there are seven more to
> whom we would make offers, but presently lack the funding.
> I have been seeking additional funding from the university
> and there are hopeful prospects in that quarter Âwe should
> know in the next few days. We have also received funds
> from grants and contracts that should support two or three more.
>
Very good!
>
> In light of the more uncertain budget for the upcoming year
> we have been asked to secure funding before we make offers.
> We seek your continued support, at last year’s level of $116,000,
> in order to move on these offers. If you would be willing to raise
> your support to fund two additional students it would be most
> helpful both to those students and in our effort to garner more
> support from the university-Âthey like matches. Funding two
> more would require an additional $33,000 for stipends and
> waivers; a total of $149,000.
>
CC’d to AVM to if they want to help again and the rest of my list, and posted on my blog.
>
> Another issue we face is that our stipend level has not changed
> in over ten years and is now below that of almost all Ph.D. programs.
> For example, Middle Tennessee State, a program not known as an
> intellectual powerhouse, offers stipends the economics Ph.D. students
> of $14,000, ours are $10,000. Further, international students must
> have a minimum level of financial support before they qualify for a
> student visa. Our total support to them, including stipend and all
> tuition waivers, is about $2,800 below the threshold for a visa.
> We can raise the stipend for international students to overcome
> this, but the consequence is that make fewer offers and would
> discriminate unfairly against American students. The university
> is aware of the problem, but budget restraints stand in the way
> of a solution in the near term. The official position of the
> administration at this point is that we should offer support
> to fewer students in order to raise the stipend for others.
> We have resisted this as harmful to the long term interests
> of the program, but some change will be needed before much
> longer. I would like to discuss this with you sometime soon
> to get your ideas.
>
Ok, no immediate ideas but will think about it.
>
> As I’m sure you know the people in our department have invested
> a great deal of sweat equity over the years to build what we consider
> a highly successful program. UMKC was recognized this year as one
> of the top six universities in the US engaged in community and urban
> affairs progress. With your support, intellectual commitment, and
> good spirit our department occupies an important spot in this activity.
> For this I am deeply grateful and hope you feel our efforts have
> warranted your support.
>
Glad to have been able to help!
>
> To summarize our request we ask for $116,000 for continuing
> support and if you agree $33,000 to support two additional
> students; a total of $149,000 for nine students.
>
I’m good with the $116,000.
Sending this to my list to see if it fits anyone else to support the world’s only ‘in paradigm’ grad program.
I know a lot of them are supporting schools that teach it backwards so maybe they would feel good directing some of that this way.
Best!
Warren
>
> Warmest regards
>
> Jim
>
[top]
March 17th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
” international students must have a minimum level of financial support before they qualify for a student visa.”
Why can’t they go through political channels to have this student visa requirement changed? Why are they pursuing more of your wallet? They need to be trained in other paradigms that are not always about “money” and be creative in other ways.
Who is your on your political advice committee Warren? You are supporting a program that is giving jobs/education to foreigners? How does that help unemployed american voters – you know the ones you need to put you into the presidency? So now these foreign kids can take all the good ideas we train them with and go home and take more american jobs away in the future.
As an unemployed american, I am now going to withdraw my political support for you that you are supporting graduate programs that give 50% of its resources to foreign students, you may have a globalist agenda, but the founding fathers told me to avoid foreign entanglements. Larry summers is about cap and trading the pollution to other places, he is a real patriot – puts america first.
PS I saw that senator bill nelson today was very angry at the virgin islands during the offshore tax shelter proceedings today – he is coming for you guys.
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March 17th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
I don’t have a political advice committee.
Fundamental to UMKC’s economic understanding is the notion of federal funding for jobs for anyone willing and able to work which supports both full employment and price stability.
Cap and trade is highly regressive as are most of the current administration’s policies. Hardly supportive of their political base.
The EDC program for the Virgin Island’s can’t be defended on its merits as I’ve been saying for a long time. However, sufficient Congressmen have thought otherwise, voted the supporting law into place, held seminars to attract people like me to go there explaining how it suits their notion of public purpose, and not quashed it.
The founding fathers also agreed to legal slavery and a 3/5 vote rule.
While you won’t vote for me you probably will keep reading this blog which is the larger satisfaction, thanks!
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March 17th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Bill Gates decided to turn attention to ‘charity’ after reaching a ripe age along with an accumulation of significant wealth.
Would you recommend following these guidelines or have you done things different?
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March 18th, 2009 at 7:34 am
You are supporting a program that is giving jobs/education to foreigners?
Sounds like more “Tribal Warfare†and monkey talk!
How can anybody dis anybody for helping another?
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March 18th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Looks to me like what follows from our ‘out of paradigm’ leaders continuously laying the blame for their own failed policies on non residents.
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March 23rd, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Warren, is the university in the VI “out of paradigm”? Do you teach any courses there?
Also, being that you are an intelligent economist and want to get bang for the buck – couldn’t the 116,000 you are spending on students in the USA at USA institutions go MUCH further if you were to direct that money to programs in universities in cambodia or the philippines where the dollar buys so much more?
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March 24th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
yes, they are way out of paradigm
could be.
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May 10th, 2012 at 3:02 pm
“The University, like many others, is dealing with budget issues”
The budget cuts at berkeley have turned us into a community college according to some like colin ;) Warren, Can you update us on the grad program, number of phd’s, american versus international students? Etc? Etc? Where they are finding employment?
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