Provost King opened the final Academic Planning Council meeting of 1998-99 by welcoming new member Peter Berck,
the incoming chair of UCEP.
1. Humanities Commission
The APC has responsibility for framing the charge and membership of the Commission on the Humanities, as recently
announced by President Atkinson. Two invited guests, Patricia O'Brien, Dean of Humanities at Riverside and former
Director of the Humanities Research Institute, and Ralph Hexter, Dean of Humanities at Berkeley, joined the APC
discussion about the proposed Commission. While noting that there have been problems in the humanities across the
nation in recent years, each of the guests urged that the Commission recognize, emphasize, and publicize the strengths
of the humanities across the UC system.
Many issues that could be addressed by the Commission were raised by the guests and APC members. For example, how
important is it to translate undergraduate enrollments in humanities courses into majors? What skills, such as
good writing and critical thinking, that we expect our undergraduates to achieve from their humanities education,
and how successfully do we teach those skills? How will enrollment growth affect the humanities? Are there ways
of informing prospective graduate students about alternative career opportunities that require masters or doctoral
level education? What role can the humanities play in K-12 improvements? How will humanities play a part in lifelong
learning in the future? Where are opportunities for communicating the strengths of UC's humanities programs? Are
there new models for collaborative research that can or should be promoted?
The APC agreed that drafting a charge and identifying potential Commission members would take more deliberation.
To that end, they proposed inviting a number of individuals throughout the system to draft in the next month various
scenarios describing what the Commission should strive to accomplish. The APC will review and discuss these scenarios
before drafting its charge to the Commission.
2. Law School
APC members discussed two concurrent activities related to the establishment of a new UC law school. First, in
accordance with Compendium procedures, the Riverside campus has submitted to the Office of the President its introductory
proposal for a new school of law. The campus proposal will follow established University procedures, including
campus and systemwide academic review.
In addition, UC has received funding from the State for a study that would determine the possible need for a new
law school in California. The study will be conducted by an external consultant, yet to be identified, in order
to bring the most objective perspective. The group will be directed to consider a number of questions in what is
primarily a labor market study. Among the issues are identification of regional need, opportunities in specific
subdisciplines of law, as well as more broadly conceived legal services, the need for more diversity in the profession
and the need for more good lawyers with UC-caliber training.
3. FCC Ruling
Vice Provost Carol Tomlinson-Keasey described an opportunity arising from an FCC ruling that requires direct-broadcast
television to devote four percent of its programming to public service activities. Direct-TV and Echostar have
until December 15, 1999 to comply with this ruling, which could provide the University the opportunity of having
its own channel for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at no more than 50 percent of the normal charge. The television
providers are interested in programming that could showcase faculty research.
The APC discussion supported finding ways to fund this opportunity. Members suggested that a comparative study
be done of costs of other transmission methods relative to potential audience size, but did note the advantage
of a dedicated station. (Direct-TV has five million viewers, the majority in California).
The next meeting of the Academic Planning Council will occur in the Fall.