University’s “Absolute Excellence” Goal Threatened
by Fiscal Meltdown, Chancellor Tells Academic Senate

Paul K. Mueller | February 2, 2009

Chancellor Marye Anne Fox told the assembled faculty at an Academic Senate meeting Tuesday that their shared task this year—and perhaps for several years— is "to preserve the excellence of the academic programs under unprecedented stress.”

Citing the state’s large budgetary deficit and the “severe constraints” imposed on University of California campuses, Fox said that, nevertheless, the institution’s mission is achieving “absolute excellence” in teaching, research and public service. Although it won’t be easy, she said, she and other campus leaders intend to, among other efforts:

• Adopt a budget based on UC-system allocations that preserves excellence
• Restore a faculty salary plan to bring high-performing faculty to market rates
• Establish the security of pensions and retiree health care
• Increase philanthropy, grants and contracts
• Work harder to secure non-traditional support
• Enhance administrative efficiencies
• Cut back or eliminate duplicative processes
• Define appropriate funding for organized research units
• Improve interactions with local, state and federal-government research sponsors.

Also on the agenda in these financially troubled times, she said, were the ongoing goals of enhancing diversity on campus; resolving obstacles to construction and collaborative projects; developing consensus on financing UCSD’s professional schools; realistically managing enrollment; completing formal accreditation; maintaining our “green” leadership; and preparing for a capital campaign in 2011.

Campus leaders, she said, are studying the details of the federal government’s stimulus plan very carefully, especially because the plan seems to favor projects—like many at UCSD—that have reached the “shovels in the ground” stage.

The theme of academic excellence was echoed by the meeting’s second speaker, Steven Adler, chair of the Council of Provosts, who provided an overview of UCSD’s six colleges and their roles at “the confluence of academics, student life and residential life.”

The provosts and their staffs address the full spectrum of student issues, he said, including enrollment targets, college curricula, academic misconduct, housing, general education requirements, internships, and major events such as orientation and graduation. As an example, he said, 39 academic advisors had 81,195 contacts with students between fall 2008 and summer 2009—and advisors help every new student select first-quarter classes.

Adler also praised those faculty members actively engaged with student life, saying that such commitment “has an immediate and demonstrable impact on our undergraduate population,” and encouraged more such participation.

Turning to administrative business, the Senate elected Marianne McDonald, professor of theatre, to the Senate Council; accepted the 2007-08 Committee Annual Report; approved a revision to the Committee on Education Policy’s GPA-calculation rule; and OK’d a Graduate Council proposal for a multi-scale biology specialization in the bioengineering Ph.D. program.

The next meeting of the Academic Senate is set for 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in the conference room of the Center for Molecular Genetics.