Friday, October 23, 2009

Prof Songi Han Statement to UCOF at UCSB

Statement By Songi Han, Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry on the first hearing of the UC Commission of the Future headed by President Yudof, Chairman Gould and the Regents.

Let me repeat what was already said before as it speaks to the legitimacy of this UC Commission and the meaning of these hearings.

Why are NO members of the UC Regents, Provost and the President present, not even all faculty chairs/co-chairs, at the very FIRST UC Commission of the Future hearings? It is as if we had a UCSB Commission of the Future hearing without our chancellor Henry Yang and executive vice chancellor Gene Lucas present. This would be unthinkable! It is too apparent that these hearings are just a make-up show. Why are the Regents, Provosts and the President not LISTENING on a HEARING tour?

If you asked me personally one year ago about my view on the University of California, I would be praising it over everything. You don't want to ask me now about my confidence in the upper UC administration that I lost so dramatically in just a few months. Don't underestimate the fact that the fuel of the faculty is our passion and love to what we do. Once that passion and love to our institution is gone-and it is truly NOT just about money-you will see the negative consequences of it painfully directly, maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but in the future. In the budget calculation of the upper administration, the value of the passion and love with which we drive our profession is not taken into account, and the loss that this institution will experience if you lose this value not considered. The result, I fear, will be a mediocre University, as one UCSB History Professor beautifully laid out for you.

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