UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
ACADEMIC PLANNING COUNCIL

Bulletin #2

February 14, 1994



The second meeting of the Academic Planning Council (APC) was held on February 14, 1994. The APC welcomed its two student members, Peter Rudinskas (UCLA) and David Benz (UCI), who were appointed by the UC Student Association.

A. Health Sciences Committee (HSC) and APC Liaison with UC Groups Not Represented on APC

Professor Joel Gershen, HSC Chair and Professor of Dentistry at UCLA, briefed the APC on the history and activities of the 17-year-old HSC, which was constituted as a subcommittee of the APC's predecessor, APPRB. Its membership cuts across the various health sciences disciplines. Its primary goal has been to analyze and offer advice on health science issues important to UC and to the State. The HSC would like to continue these activities under the aegis of the APC, highlighting for Universitywide discussion important planning issues that are emerging for UC in the rapidly changing national health policy environment. The APC will review a revised HSC charge and membership to ensure that they are broad and inclusive.

The APC will invite the Chair of the HSC and representatives of other on-going UC groups to meet with the APC periodically, and representatives of on-going groups will be asked to serve on APC subcommittees as appropriate.

B. Consultation and approval processes (Subcommittee Chair A. Dorr)

This Subcommittee is working on ways to speed up and improve Universitywide processes. Because budget cuts have generated a number of proposed changes in existing academic programs and units, the Subcommittee began its work by examining systemwide review processes. It has concluded that procedures for assessing proposals for new programs, with which there is long experience, are not necessarily appropriate for review of academic program transfer, consolidation, discontinuance, and disestablishment (TCDD) proposals, and that clarity about TCDD review would be helpful. The Subcommittee also recognized that changes that involve major restructuring may require new processes but certainly will require more coordination than usual because they may include a combination of TCDD actions, name changes, and new program/unit actions.

The Academic Senate expects shortly to issue a statement describing its process for TCDD reviews, and this Subcommittee will, in the near future, recommend additional ways the University can expedite action within the Office of the President, the Universitywide Academic Senate, and the California Postsecondary Education Commission.

The APC's discussion indicated how important it is that the APC and the Universitywide Academic Senate be apprised by campus administrations and divisional Senate committees of potential systemwide implications of any contemplated TCDD action or restructuring as early as possible. A letter will be sent to the Academic Vice Chancellors outlining a suggested early-notice
process.

C. Intercampus Cooperation

1. Draft Charge to Advisory Committee on Foreign Language Instruction

The APC discussed a draft charge for an Advisory Committee on Foreign Language Instruction, which is also receiving comment from the Academic Vice Chancellors and the Academic Senate. Concern has been expressed by both faculty and administrators that relatively small language programs may be made particularly vulnerable in the next early retirement (VERIP) program, and that in an era of constrained resources, it is important to use our teaching resources most effectively. A related concern is redundancy between high school preparation and introductory course enrollment in the University.

The APC asked that the charge foreground opportunities for intercampus and intersegmental cooperation in enhancing foreign language instruction. The charge will be reconsidered at the APC's March 7 meeting.

2. Draft Report of the Task Force on Intercampus Programs and Distance Learning

An advance copy of the draft report of this Task Force was distributed for initial review. Task Force Chair Carol Christ, Provost of Letters and Sciences at Berkeley, will join the APC March 7 to discuss its recommendations.

In their initial review of the draft, the APC members emphasized the importance of upgrading intercampus communications systems, and Provost Massey indicated that he intends to give this a high priority. The APC also expressed a hope that new opportunities would be developed for UC faculty to learn about the technological evolution of the classroom.

D. UC's Delivery of Coursework Normally Offered in High School (Subcommittee Chair M. Nicol)

This Subcommittee began its work with a review of information and statistics about Subject A, discovering that approximately 7,000 out of 19,000 freshmen enrolling in Fall 1992 were required to take Subject A, at a cost to the University of approximately $2 million annually. The Subcommittee is investigating ways to identify students with academic deficiencies earlier in high school to enable high schools to enroll them in additional writing courses. The proposed Golden State Exam in composition, now being developed for the high schools, may provide such an
opportunity.

In addition, the Subcommittee will pursue the establishment of UC recognition awards for high school teachers whose students attain good Subject A results, providing incentives both to schools that already have excellent pass rates and to schools that show significant improvement.

E. UC Involvement in Meeting Critical State Needs

At its first meeting the APC identified several additional activities it will want to pursue, including ways to demonstrate UC's engagement in meeting critical State needs. Provost Massey announced that he and Vice President Baker have begun a review, to be completed by June, of all of the Universitywide public service activities that relate to State government. He will brief the APC on this activity as it progresses.

The next meeting of the APC will be on March 7, 1994.