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Academic Senate Hears of Recent Campus Achievements,
'Unique and Valuable' Role of Six Colleges in University’s Success

Paul Mueller | December 7, 2009

In their second meeting of the academic year, the UCSD Academic Senate heard reports Tuesday from Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, Steven Adler, chair of the Council of Provosts, and John Haviland, professor of anthropology, before acting on proposed amendments and revisions to bylaws and regulations. Chair William Hodgkiss brought the meeting to order and introduced the guest speakers.

In her remarks, Fox expressed pride in the university community’s perseverance in the face of the “dire financial world in which we live,” and listed some recent achievements that illustrate the university’s resilience:

  • The Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine now has all necessary signatures from local partners, and groundbreaking can be scheduled.
  • UC Regent Charlene Zettel and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders helped break ground for the new Medical Education Building.
  • The campus marked the opening of the Sustainability Resource Center.
  • The chancellor, the academic deans and the vice chancellors have been meeting with local and state legislators to emphasize the necessary role of higher education in the state’s long-term economic recovery.
  • The university is engaged in numerous projects that benefit the San Diego community, notably the upcoming San Diego Science Festival and the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, for which UCSD is sponsoring tours of laboratories for international journalists and science writers.

The chancellor also thanked members of the faculty and the administration for their efforts in planning and guiding the recent diversity-focused Education Summit sponsored by the Board of Overseers; and noted that the UC Regents recently approved the campus’ three-year, $50-million “Invent the Future: Campaign for Student Support” initiative. Finally, Fox thanked Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Paul Drake, who has announced his retirement, for his years of service to the faculty and the campus.

Steven Adler, professor of theatre and chair of the Council of Provosts, then described the “unique and valuable” role that UCSD’s six colleges play in the success of the university. The college system, he said, quoting accreditation documents, “remains a distinctive feature of the university, and one that continues to provide the basis for innovation and variation.”

The colleges, Adler said, are the foundation for undergraduate education at UCSD: “Here, students develop a sense of community and personal engagement, and are provided the personal and intellectual support needed to thrive as scholars and citizens.” In addition, the colleges:

  • Establish broad general-education programs for each college, and help construct communities around a shared academic experience or philosophy.
  • Provide students with comprehensive and integrated academic advising and student services.
  • Help create safe and inclusive campus neighborhoods.
  • Provide a responsive point-of-contact for students, parents, and families, as well as an effective framework for identifying and helping students in crisis.
  • Foster a range of educational initiatives, such as the Freshman Seminar program and the Global Seminars, in addition to a number of interdisciplinary majors, minors, and academic programs.

The Council of Provosts, Adler said, is actively engaged in discussing how the colleges can respond to the fiscal crisis without jeopardizing their core missions. “We are evaluating all our programs and administrative structures,” he said, “to prioritize services, save money, and better utilize our resources.”

An update on the Education Abroad Program (EAP) was provided by John Haviland, professor of anthropology, on behalf of the Committee on International Education, and the news there reflected the “dire financial world” mentioned by both previous speakers.

Funding for the EAP from the UC Office of President is expected to plummet – from about $25 million to $4 million a year – and faculty and administrators are being encouraged to “self-support” the program, Haviland said. The EAP governing committee and others are looking at big changes, including higher fees and reduced services, to counteract the shortfall. “The danger,” he said, “is that only the wealthy will be able to study abroad.”

Chair Hodgkiss next turned to senate business, and the assembly approved a proposal by the faculty of Muir College to amend an appendix to their bylaws, a change that would allow voting on changes to take place by mail or electronic ballot. The assembly also OK’d a proposal by the faculty of the School of Medicine to revise their grading policy for the Preclerkship Core Curriculum, a revision that restricts grading to pass or fail in those early courses.

The next meeting of the Academic Senate will be at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 26, in the Center for Molecular Genetics conference room.

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