John Eger, professor of communications and public policy, has beenselected by the Governmentof Netherlands as advisor of the Kenniswijk Foundation, a group whichwill aim to develop a high-tech model community in Eindhoven, aleading industrial area for its technological know-how.
Eger was selected as advisor after his efforts in the past 10years to establish California as one of the most high-tech places inthe world.
“We are succeeding,” he said. “Today, California produces morebooks, software and examples that show we are using technology in anaggressive way than probably any other state in the world.”
In 1990, Eger began working on ways to make San Diego a “City ofthe Future” by producing comprehensive reports about what citiesshould do to compete in the global information society and economy.
A few years later, Eger and fellow researchers received a $1million grant from the state of California to help make San Diego’s”City of the Future” success a statewide phenomenon.
“We produced how-to books and every community in the state ofCalifornia had this; every city manager, every mayor,” he said. “Thisplan is now all over the world.”
The Government of Netherlands wanted to emulate the concept ofCalifornia’s transition as one of the leading information economiesby transforming Eindhoven in similar ways.
“The Netherlands already have a leg up because they are verywealthy and have a
plan,” Eger said.
Eger will be finishing other projects in the United States beforehe heads to the Netherlands.
-Lizette Lizardo
CSU and APC Union reach tentativeagreement
Contract negotiations between the California State Universitysystem and its employees is one step closer to being complete.
CSU and the Academic Professionals of California, the union thatrepresents almost 2,000 student service professionals, have reached atentative agreement on a three-year contract that will end June 2003.
The contract includes a six percent compensation pool, includingmerit pay, money the CSU gives to employees that complete extra work.
This agreement leaves the California Faculty Association the lastof CSU’s eight employee units that has not come to a contractagreement. Currently the CFA and the CSU are in the fact-findingstage of their negotiations. Right now, the two are battling overCSU’s merit pay program and increase in across-the-board pay.
The APC contract includes: 40 percent of the salary pool will beused for merit pay to reward APC employee performance, a threepercent across-the-board increase for all employees, and a 10 percentpool for employee bonuses, given to employees that meet certainstandards.
The union is expected to ratify the agreement by Dec. 20. The CSUtrustees are expected to vote at the next meeting in January.
