by Ian Kennedy
We are inclined to lay all blame for the travails of UC at the door of the President or doors of the Chancellors. There is, however, another authority that shares some culpability for the ills that beset us – the Regents. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges offers an interesting assessment of the Regents in their review of UC management. The following is a summary of the general tone of the WASC report by DFA member Susan Harrison; please note it does not represent Susan’s personal assessment of the WASC opinions, in particular their accuracy.
This document contains (beginning p. 25) a report by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which sent a special committee to examine the accreditation issues that were raised by the UC compensation and governance “scandal”. The report is pretty scathing – much more so of the Regents than the university itself. If you don’t have time to read it, here’s the summary – the regents ignored material that was brought to them, told people to bring them less rather than more information, did not know their own rules, like to speak to reporters on issues where there hasn’t been any discussion or vote, get no training in university governance, and have a culture of hostility to university administrators, faculty and staff.