January 2005
NOTES FROM THE ACADEMIC SENATE CHAIR
GEORGE BLUMENTHAL
Dear Colleagues,
As I reported in the November Senate Source, this year the systemwide Senate leadership will be more pro-active in asserting the faculty’s voice on proposed state and federal legislation that directly affects students, faculty and curricula. As the 2005 legislative year ramps up, we will be monitoring proposed new legislation and drafting responses as appropriate. I expect there to be a number of bills on admissions and transfer issues, as well as cost cutting proposals that could have negative implications for UC. In addition, there has already been a proposal by the governor for a state constitutional amendment, which would eliminate defined-benefit retirement programs, such as our UCRS retirement program, for new state employees hired after 2007. Although such an amendment would not affect current faculty, the absence of a defined-benefit retirement program could severely and adversely affect retention and recruitment of the next generation of faculty at UC. With the help of our Senate committee chairs, we have already reviewed and submitted comments on several bills. You will find an update on those and other bills that we are tracking on page two.
In a related activity, at its December meeting, the Academic Council unanimously approved a proposal to introduce this year in both houses of the Legislature a Concurrent Resolution on Graduate Education at the University of California. For some time now the deteriorating state of graduate education has been a matter of intense concern to UC faculty. The Academic Council believes that this resolution is a crucial first step in our efforts to educate our political leaders about graduate education and to let them know why it is critically important to the state’s economic health and cultural vitality for them to support policies that will enable the University of California to compete for the strongest possible pool of talent from within the state, across the nation and around the world. The Senate leadership will be working with UC’s Office of State Government Relations on crafting the final language and on getting this important initiative before legislators. The Assembly of the Academic Senate will be asked to endorse this action at its March meeting. To my knowledge, this is the first time ever that the UC Academic Senate has initiated state legislation, and as this effort moves along, I will be asking you to lobby your local legislators for their support.
Another important action taken by the Academic Council in December was a recommendation to the Provost that the start of all terms for undergraduate instruction be aligned on campuses using the quarter system and similarly on campuses using the semester system. This change, which will to be implemented over the next several years, will save the University significant resources and further the University’s educational mission, while facilitating the most efficient use of fully funded summer sessions, off-campus programs, and transfer of credit.
An issue currently under systemwide review that has stirred debate among faculty and received some media attention is the Academic Council Resolution on Restrictions on Research Funding Sources. The Resolution supports the right of faculty members to “accept or refuse research support from any source consistent with their individual judgment and conscience, and with University policy.” The Academic Council endorsed this Resolution in July 2004; however, each campus Senate and all systemwide committees are undertaking a formal reconsideration of the Resolution so as to ensure a full and open discussion of the statement and the academic freedom issues associated with it.
Finally, as part of our continuing effort to strengthen shared governance at UC, this year I have invited a number of members of the Board of Regents to join the Academic Council for in-depth discussions on issues of mutual interest and concern. These informal discussions give us the opportunity to not only share our perspectives on, and priorities for the University of California. We have already had excellent discussions with Regents Novack and Blum and will soon be meeting with Regents Chair Gerald Parsky, as well as the student regent and student regent designate.
If you have any questions, concerns or comments, I would be pleased to hear from you.
Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year!