Davis Faculty Association

During the Spring Quarter the Davis Faculty Association conducted a survey of faculty with regard to the performance of the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. The results are online at:

http://www.ucdfa.org/news_articles/admin-eval-survey.htm

We have posted statistics as well as detailed comments and personal experiences. The comments make for very interesting reading and we urge the members, and the upper administration who will receive this message, to consider them carefully.

In summary, one quarter of respondents to the question believe the Office of Research is effective and efficient in supporting research activities while three quarters believe it is not.

Almost one third of respondents to the question believe Graduate Studies is effective and efficient in supporting graduate education and research at UC Davis while over two thirds believe it is not.

Essentially, people believe that the administration in general, and both of the two administrative units that were the focus of the survey in particular, are overly bureaucratic. There seemed to be a sense that these offices were designed to manage faculty rather than facilitate faculty. As one faculty member put it (in respect to the Office of Research), they seem “more concerned with scrupulously enforcing … rules than with facilitating submission of proposals.” Some people in fact welcomed OR’s strictness since the funding agencies at the next step are equally picayune.

You should be aware that considerable forces are aligning to push for a fundamental change in the operation of the University of California. Senator Yee has a web site at http://www.reformtheuc.com/ that promotes his proposal to shift our oversight and control from the Regents to the Legislature. Although the DFA and CUCFA have often disagreed with the Office of the President, this move will have a fundamental and very damaging impact on the University. It is very likely that our research mission will be dismissed in favor of teaching, and it will expose us to the political machinations of Sacramento.

The DFA and CUCFA will offer a response to Yee’s proposal, pointing out its dangers for UC – and for the State.

UC Riverside has announced plans to cut their costs. See the link at

http://budget.ucr.edu/ucr_budget_news/cbu-05-jun-09.html

They are planning for 16 days of furlough, of which 13 would be unpaid holidays.

Please forward this message to your colleagues!

The Board of the Davis Faculty Association invites you to join us over a beer – or soft drink – at Davis’s Sudwerk restaurant at 4:30pm on Wednesday 10th June. The first drink will be courtesy of the DFA. Come discuss the current fiscal crisis threatening California and UC. We want to hear about your concerns, your suggestions, and any other input you may have for the Board of the DFA.

As the University of California faces another challenging period, perhaps one of the most difficult times that we have encountered, we need concerted action more than ever: the future of the University itself is at stake. To be effective in representing you, we need your help. Please join us on the 11th on the outside patio if weather permits, inside if it is inclement.

by Joe Kiskis and Eric Hays

Several hundred people from up and down the state converged on the John Burton hearing room for the afternoon sessions which covered K-12 education, child care and development, and then higher education. Attendance at this meeting was about an order of magnitude larger than either of us have previously seen at a hearing. After the main hearing room and an equally large backup room both overflowed, many people were packed into the stifling halls hoping for an opportunity to address their representatives. Evidently this level of interest was unanticipated by hearing planners. We hope that the sheer number of dedicated speakers carried a compelling message from citizens to their representatives.

Here’s our take of what UC President Mark Yudof actually said at the hearing (UCOP has a press release on their web site at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/21271 based on the materials Yudof prepared in advance of the meeting, it is quite interesting to note the differences):

Yudof said some programs should be eliminated — should probably have been eliminated in the past and now can be cut due to the crisis. He said there would be furloughs, salary reductions and programmatic cuts — all three. He said his biggest concerns were access and research. Research was spoken of, both by Yudof and others, as separate from teaching. Joe will rectify that misunderstanding in his follow-up letter to the committee members.

After access and research, Yudof said that the “race to the bottom” was another major concern. He pointed out that in 1990 the state paid $16,000 per student (inflation adjusted) and if Schwarzenegger’s budget passes the state will only be paying $7,700 per student.

Senator Ducheny asked what UC was doing to force (her word) faculty to teach more than 2 classes. Yudof said that, after most non-tenure track instructors are laid off, faculty will have to teach more, it would be inevitable. His statement implies that he has already decided to lay off almost all non-tenure track instructors.

Yudof, Reed and Scott all simply assumed significant cuts were coming and asked that they be, as much as possible, unallocated cuts, so as to give institutional leaders flexibility in accommodating them. All three higher ed leaders met with the Governor before the hearing to talk about who knows what. All three defended Cal Grants, which are being eliminated in the Governor’s budget. Also being eliminated in the Governor’s budget is any state funding for Hastings College of the Law.

The Governor is going to address a joint legislative session Tuesday about the budget.