Senator Yee has been an ally of the faculty associations in the past. Now, however, he is spearheading the proposed constitutional amendments that would strip the UC Regents of the autonomy needed to preserve UC. Today, DFA chair Ian Kennedy sent the following letter to Senator Yee and copied it to the legislators who represent us at Davis — Lois Wolk and Mariko Yamada. More to follow on this issue as it develops.
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June 16, 2009
Senator Leland Yee
State Capitol, Room 4074
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 327-2186
Dear Senator Yee,
The Davis Faculty Association represents members who are on the faculty of the University of California Davis. Over the years, we have appreciated the concern and support that you have shown for the University. On many occasions we have agreed with your criticism of the operation of the Office of the President. However, the Association is alarmed at your proposal for a major change in the governance structure of the university by transferring oversight of the University from the Regents to the Legislature.
While we certainly understand your frustration with the behavior of the University’s administration and their management of upper level administrative positions, we believe very strongly that your approach is guaranteed to weaken the university even further during this period of significant uncertainty.
Under the present governance structure the University has continued to maintain its excellence in the face of declining financial support from the State. A recent widely-used international ranking of universities places six of the campuses of the University in the top 50 universities world-wide. While the current system is not perfect, it has created and sustained the greatest university system, public or private, in the world. This is a remarkable record that we fear may be jeopardized by your proposal. Our members are struggling to maintain the quality of both our teaching and research programs.
We think the current structure can be made to work better than it currently is, but that an abandonment of that structure will add to the chaos of these uncertain times. A better approach to allay your concerns and frustrations might be to reconsider the makeup of the Regents, rather than a drastic overhaul of the entire management of the University. Along these lines, it is worth recalling that a Task Force of the UC Academic Senate proposed to the Regents and President Jack Peltason in 1995 a scheme for equitably setting the salaries of administrators: the proposal was not adopted. We would be happy to share that report with you if you are interested along with other pertinent information. We urge you to reconsider your proposal – it is in neither the interest of the University nor ultimately the State of California. Other remedies are available.
Sincerely,
Ian Kennedy, Davis Faculty Association Chair, and
Professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
cc: Assemblymember Mariko Yamada
Senator Lois Wolk