As the University of California plots a course forward, seeking to recover from the social and economic costs associated with the pandemic, it faces an additional challenge: recovering from the several scandals that have tarnished its reputation in Sacramento and, more widely, in California in recent years. From the involvement of UC in the “Varsity Blues” admissions scandal and recurrent cases of sexual harassment, to ongoing concerns about increased numbers of out-of-state students and rising costs of attendance for a degraded education, Californians have reason to be skeptical about UC’s dedication to the public good. President Drake has begun to try to repair UC’s reputation with a new report on the “economic impact” of UC: its so-called ripple effects. UCOP hired the outside firm, Beacon Economics, to compile a slick accounting of all that we contribute in terms of jobs, research, educating a new generation of students, healthcare and more. It’s a long and impressive list of “impacts”-as if there needs to be no change in what we do.
The university could make its presence felt in more tangible and direct ways by moving into communities across the state, revitalizing the original mission as a land grant college with extension projects. In addition to hiring public relations consultants we might put more resources into such programs as Berkeley’s American Cultures Engaged Scholarship Program (ACES) which fosters student and faculty participation in community projects, tied to their academic work. A revitalized Institute for the Study of Societal Issues (ISSI) – that the university wanted to close down – could be the nerve center of such outward looking infusion. Times of crisis do not call for self-congratulatory reports but for developing new ideas and visions of the university.