Higher Education Finance

John Aubrey Douglass

Senior Research Fellow

John Aubrey Douglass is Senior Research Fellow - Public Policy and Higher Education at the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE), and is a faculty member in the Goldman School of Public Policy, at the University of California - Berkeley. His research focuses on the forces and politics of globalization, the future of Democracy, the role of universities in economic development and socioeconomic mobility, the student experience and institutional self-improvement, and the history of higher education. He has written extensively on the rise of neo-nationalism and the impact on...

Charlie Eaton

Associate Professor, Sociology, UC Merced

Professor Eaton is an economic sociologist who studies the power of elites in politics and the economy, as well as policy and organizational strategies to rebalance power and wealth towards ordinary people. His book, Bankers in the Ivory Tower (University of Chicago Press, 2022), is about the relationship between financialization, student debt, inequalities in higher education, and the rise of private equity and hedge fund investors among US billionaires....

Gary Matkin

Former Dean of Continuing Education, University of California, Irvine
Former Dean, Continuing Education, Distance Learning, and Summer Session Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1989, Education M.B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1970, Political Aspects of Business B.S., University of San Francisco, 1966, Accounting Certified Public Accountant (inactive), 1966, California License E14426 Other Experience Associate Dean, CE, UC Berkeley 1990-2000 Director, Admin Services, UC Berkeley 1975-1990 Business Officer, UC Berkeley 1973-1975 CPA, Various 1966-1973 Professional Societies California Alumni Association Association of Public...

James Johnsen

Senior Fellow, National Association of System Heads

Jim is Senior Fellow at the National Association of System Heads (NASH) and Lecturer in the School of Management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. At NASH Jim is working with leaders and scholars on a major “rethink” of the role of public university systems in achieving societal goals in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. He is a member of the Westerrn Commission on Higher Education.

Jim was President of the University of Alaska system from 2015 to 2020 during a period of severe state funding cuts, administrative consolidation, and academic...

Janet Holmgren, Ph.D.

President Emerita, Mills College – Oakland, California; Senior Vice President for Strategic Advancement, University Now – San Francisco, California

Janet L. Holmgren is a consultant to higher education and nonprofit organizations. Her current and recent consulting work includes the Lower Cost Models for Independent Colleges Consortium, Bay Path University, the Women’s College Coalition, the East Bay Community Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Davis Education Foundation, the Peralta Community Colleges, Cooper University, UniversityNow, and the University of Advanced Technology. She speaks annually at the Education Leadership Academy of the University of California, Berkeley and is an adjunct faculty...

Whether to fight or not - that is the question for the University of California

August 22, 2025
John Aubrey Douglass

The battle between the Trump administration and the University of California over a proposed $1 billion fine is more than just a legal dispute—it's a critical moment for the future of America's public research universities.CSHE Senior Research Fellow John Aubrey Douglassdives into why this case is important and what it could mean for institutions nationwide.

https://johnaubreydouglass.substack.com/p/whether-to-fight-or-not-that-is-the

CSHE Director Jesse Rothstein Provides Key Insights on University Budget

July 31, 2025

Jesse Rothstein recently shared critical insights into university financial operations during an interview with Julia Barajas from LAist, Southern California Public Radio's digital news and culture platform.

In this timely discussion, Rothstein clarified how college budgets function, underscored the vital importance of research grants, and addressed the significant financial challenges universities are currently navigating under the present administration.

https://laist.com/news/education/higher-education-budget-university-california-c…

Faculty Affiliate Charlie Eaton Discusses Wall Street's Role on University Boards

June 27, 2025

The Chronicle spoke with Eaton about his latest paper Elite Embeddedness and what his work can tell us about how America got to this point in its views of college.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/private-equity-wealth-is-growing-on-the-most-p…

$15 Billion Is Enough to Fight a President

Charlie Eaton
2025

Higher Ed's Financial Roller Coaster

Jennifer Delaney
2023