1. New Members
Several of the new members who will be replacing departing members attended this last APC meeting for 1999-00:
Chand (Vis) Viswanathan, incoming vice-chair of the Academic Council; Gayle Binion, UCPB; Clifford Brunk, CCGA;
Manfred Kusch, UCEP; Cristina Gonzalez, Graduate Dean (Davis).
2. Faculty Recruitment
The APC continued previous discussions of the challenge of recruiting nearly 7,000 new faculty in the coming decade,
agreeing that the University is presented with a significant opportunity to address the failure to hire women and
minority faculty at the rate that they are available on the job market. The profile of hires in the next decade
will have important ramifications for the following 30-40 years because the University won't be hiring significant
numbers of new faculty after the current wave of enrollment growth ends, and because the faculty being hired in
the next decade will just be beginning their UC careers. The APC reviewed data showing that in some areas departments
are hiring proportionately fewer women and minorities than are available. The APC also discussed data showing that
the rate of hiring women and minority faculty has decreased significantly in the four years since 1995 as compared
to the four years prior to 1995.
The members discussed the kinds of incentives it takes to recruit a candidate successfully. Housing costs and spousal
employment are two factors becoming increasingly important. One activity that has proved helpful for spousal employment
is having an individual at the campus dedicated to directing spouses of candidates to local employment opportunities.
Members suggested to Assistant Vice President Ellen Switkes that she expand her annual recruitment and retention
study to include, if possible, interviews with both successfully and unsuccessfully recruited candidates. The descriptions
of their experiences–advice they received, positions they considered applying for and why they were or weren't
desirable, and the nature of offers they received–may help tailor future recruitments.
The Office of the President will continue to review and monitor various aspects of the recruitment process, including
not only progress toward increased diversity, but also the costs of recruitment and the extent to which campuses
are hiring temporary faculty.
3. Undergraduate Time to Degree
The APC continued its discussion from the previous meeting about issues related to the expectation that undergraduates
graduate with 180 units in four years. One suggestion has been that fifth year seniors might, at least in some
cases, be considered graduate students who could be granted a masters degree at the end of their fifth year. APC
member Judith Smith, the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at UCLA, described UCLA's Departmental Scholar
program. This honors program allows academically strong seniors (3.5 GPA and above) to work simultaneously toward
their baccalaureate and masters degrees, given departmental permission. The program has been in effect since the
middle 1960s and attracts approximately 50 students a year–most of them in chemistry. Students are enrolled as
undergraduates through completion of both degrees. It attracts students who go on for further graduate study, including
professional school, as well as some who want to teach in areas where a masters degree is important. UCLA is considering
whether and how to allow the students to be graduate students instead of undergraduates, which will result in these
undergraduates graduating in four years, not five, and will increase graduate enrollments.
Despite the many complications of a combined bachelor/masters program, APC members supported campus efforts to
continue looking into ways to expand them. Such programs could be of value in encouraging more students to pursue
Ph.D.s.
The APC also cited specific factors that increase time to degree, including admissions expectations of medical
schools--both real and perceived--that compel many students to take more units than are required for UC graduation.
Of additional concern is the fact that the additional courses these students take are usually in the sciences,
which are the most expensive courses to offer and to provide facilities for.
4. Off-Campus Instructional Centers
The APC discussed the potential for off-campus instructional programs to accommodate significant numbers of students.
A recently completed report describing six existing UC programs, representing models of both single-campus and
multi-campus participation and management, concluded that while offering excellent academic experiences for students,
costs of such programs could be high and participation limited, depending on location and academic offerings. Several
members suggested that a program in Sacramento, similar to the University's program in Washington, D.C., could
provide valuable academic opportunities, including internships, for many UC students and was therefore worth campus
consideration. There was also some support for an off-campus arts program, and for a digital arts center.
5. Accountability to the State
Assistant Vice President Sandra Smith brought to the APC's attention several items in the recent partnership agreement
between UC and the Governor that are relevant to the APC's interests. For example, the partnership agreement makes
a commitment to expand outreach for graduate and professional students, which will help in the effort to increase
graduate enrollments. It states that State funding and financial aid should be eliminated for students taking more
than 20 percent excess units above what is required for graduation, which should help in making room for more students.
It increases the number of transfers to 15,300 by 2010 2005, above the 14,500 committed to in the existing MOU
with the Community Colleges. It creates a standard for summer enrollment (40 percent of fall/winter/spring enrollment)
as a threshhold for requesting additional classroom and classroom space. And, it expects an increase in joint doctoral
degrees offered with CSU. Each of these expectations will be reviewed and reported on, usually during the development
of the University's budget.
6. Enrollment Planning Update
AVP Smith informed the APC of the recently signed budget bill which provides $13.8 million to the University to
buy down student fees in summer 2001 so that they will be equivalent on a per-unit basis to fees charged in the
regular academic year. The funds will be distributed to all campuses, depending on what they currently charge students
in the summer. The University is working out a phasing plan for the rest of the funds needed to buy out existing
summer enrollments. Current expectations are that the terms of the phasing will be included in the Governor's Budget
next January, with Berkeley, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara to be funded first, followed by three campuses in each
of the next following two years.