Janet Napolitano is standing down as President of UC. In accordance with the Regents’ Policy 7101, the BFA, along with Faculty Associations from the other UC campuses, has proposed the formation of Academic Advisory Committees. On each campus, such a committee would hold town halls or other public events, to gather information on each campus’ concerns, priorities, and recommendations and communicate them to the Regents. The BFA will conduct a campus Town Hall on November 13th, from 6-8 p.m. Details will follow.
We are concerned to develop a set of criteria that might inform the selection process. Here are some preliminary proposals. We encourage BFA members to attend the Town Hall, and to make their own amendments and suggestions to the search criteria we list below.
The hiring committee should seek an applicant committed to:
- Working in conjunction with the CSUs and Community Colleges to restore a strategic vision for the public mission and funding of higher education within the state of California.
- Making high-quality teaching and research in the public interest the highest priority of all UC campuses, a priority that should guide budgets, reward and compensation practices, mission statements and other representations of campus purpose.
- Reducing the number of out-of-state students and ensuring the total cost of attendance does not limit opportunities for Californians.
- Increasing the diversity of the student body and faculty so that they better reflect the population of California we hope to serve.
- Reducing the proportion of senior managers to faculty and staff.
- Implementing a salary cap on all senior administrators so as to restore the ethos of public service, earn back the trust of California’s taxpayers, and demonstrate respect for the financial circumstances of students, faculty, and staff, as well as the institution itself.
- Committing to budgetary transparency and prioritizing the task of restoring public funding rather than private fundraising and commercial contracts.
- Honoring the value of academic freedom, including respect for the tradition of shared governance with faculty. Faculty consultation is vital to insulate the university from external influences, both political and financial.
- Ensuring that the University of California is at the forefront of campaigns for a sustainable future for the planet, whether in terms of fossil free divestment, resource management or supporting research and teaching that will help us tackle climate change.
Wendy Brown, Michael Burawoy, Celeste Langan, Leslie Salzinger, and James Vernon for the Berkeley Faculty Association