Provost King welcomed new members of the Academic Planning Council: incoming
Academic Council Vice-Chair Aimee Dorr, and incoming chairs of UCPB--Bernard Minster, CCGA-- Michael Hanemann,
and UCEP--Janice Plastino.
1. Faculty Recruitment and Retention
Guests AVP Ellen Switkes and Director Trevor Chandler joined APC members in their discussion of a May meeting of
faculty and administrators that had been convened by the Academic Council and the Office of the President to discuss
methods of achieving faculty diversity in the wake of Proposition 209 and SP-2. The participants are inviting the
APC, Academic Council, COVC and others to add their suggestions to those generated at the meeting, with the intent
of reconvening the original group in the Fall to to review the suggestions that have been made.
The APC discussion covered several themes, among them:
the importance of continuing to expand the pool of potential faculty members, most particularly by ensuring the
retention and academic success of under-represented graduate students.
the need for department chairs and faculty who do the actual hiring to have access to information about where they
might do outreach, and about the size and characteristics of the pool from which they will be recruiting.
the necessity of increasing the visibility of our commitment to diversity, and of communicating the reasons why
it is an essential feature of an excellent education and a requirement for preparing citizens and leaders of the
21st century.
2. Part-time Professional Master's Degree Programs
The APC debated issues related to President Atkinson's interest in developing more part-time professional master's
degree programs. Members agreed that the first step should be to define what the degree is and isn't and how it
would be distinguished from the professional master's degrees already offered through traditional programs. Once
distinctions are made that are clear to both the University academic community and to the public, the challenge
will be to ensure quality worthy of UC's name while offering broad access. Additional considerations would follow,
such as how the faculty would participate in approving and offering such programs, and how departments would benefit
from the income derived.
As currently conceived by the President, such a degree would be of interest to an older, working population that
wants additional education in order to maintain or improve their competitive standing in their profession. APC
members expressed interest in learning more about two similar ventures being undertaken by Stanford and by the
Wisconsin System, which is working with the Lotus Corporation to develop degree programs for the Pacific Rim. They
advised, however, that it is essential to do market research to identify viable niches. Members also urged that
the Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives draft a model that will help CCGA determine acceptable parameters and
communicate them to interested programs.
3. Library Planning and Action Initiative
Academic Council Vice-Chair Sandra Weiss described the progress of the Library Planning and Action Initiative on
its five resolutions. As of July 1, a search for the director for the Digital Library--a University Librarian--will
commence. Committees are determining what materials will be part of the science and technology collection--the
first digital collection--and considering which collections will be next. There continues to be discussion of methods
for enhancing intercampus sharing of library collections and resources, including allowing faculty and students
to request items directly from other campuses. In addition, UC is seeking increased collaboration with the other
California higher education segments, both in library service and in networking through CENIC (Consortium for Educational
Networking Initiatives in California). SB 409, the Library of California Act, is a statewide library cooperation
bill sponsored by the California Library Association to create a framework for providing and financing access to
UC digital library resources by other California libraries. Although the bill failed to make deadlines for consideration
as a 1997 bill, and therefore cannot be enacted before January 1999, State Librarian Kevin Starr has endorsed the
idea that UC take a leadership role in providing digital library services throughout the state through the Library
of California mechanism.
The Library Initiative has also introduced a sixth resolution which calls for the development of a funding model
for print collections.
4. The RAND Corporation's Report to the Education Round Table
Provost King announced that the Education Round Table is undertaking a study of financing issues facing higher
education as a followup to the RAND Corporation's report on Master Plan issues. This Fiscal Working Group, which
consists of each Round Table principal plus one designee, hopes to complete its work in time to make a contribution
to the work of the California Citizens Commission on Higher Education, scheduled for completion by January 1998.
The APC also discussed RAND's final report for the Education Round Table, "Breaking the Social Compact: the
Fiscal Crisis in California Higher Education." APC members were pleased with RAND's emphasis on the significant
role of UC as a research university. They hoped that the Citizens Commission--as informed by the Fiscal Working
Group and groups such as the Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates (ICAS)--would also recognize the value
to the state of the Master Plan's distinction of mission among the higher education segments.
5. Review of the Compendium
Provost King noted that one of the APC's roles is to coordinate activities that will expedite the development and
delivery of academic programs. A major task when the APC was first formed was to streamline Universitywide review
processes for creating and discontinuing academic degree programs, academic units and research units. As part of
that effort the APC created a Compendium that described all of the Universitywide processes and agreed to review
the Compendium three years after its inception to determine whether the streamlined procedures are effective, and
whether new ones should be incorporated. While the real work of this review will begin in the Fall, members mentioned
their particular interest in evaluating the process for reviewing five-year academic plans, which they believe
could benefit from being placed in a broader academic planning context.
6. Accountability
The APC reviewed a compilation of campus suggestions for accountability and performance measures that go beyond
the narrowly-focused "Phase I" measures (those that respond specifically to commitments made to the State
and Regents). Members noted the importance of creating a comparative framework, especially one that includes information
about other universities. They also urged that there be more information about diversity, studies that would lead
to a better understanding of local obstacles to intersegmental cooperation, and further discussion of the importance
of including the student-faculty ratio in our Universitywide expectations.
7. Priorities and Agenda for 1997-98
The APC members reviewed the priorities they had set for themselves for 1996-97. They suggested consideration of
the following ideas for 1997-98: adding the California Virtual University to the Information Technology topic;
considering broader aspects of undergraduate education, beyond the use of technology; using the APC's advantage
as a non-parochial group to foster campus specialization, encourage intercampus synergies and promote one-university
issues; inviting campuses to bring their Phase II "dreams and visions" to the APC in order to engage
in discussion of long range issues; considering preparatory education if it emerges as an important State issue;
and, continuing discussion of enrollment planning and graduate student issues. The APC will continue its consideration
of its priorities when it reconvenes at its first Fall meeting.
This is the last APC meeting for 1997-98.