Report from UCOF Listening Forum at Berkeley

Dear Divco:

Here are some very brief notes from the Listening Forum

One observation. The Working Committees are not giving up much. They are very vague about what issues they are addressing. Very Important—the calendar has changed—Top two or three priorities to be presented in March—final deadline early June (after the students have left?)

Short protest statement at beginning by a small group of students—otherwise very peaceful and civil

In order of presentation;

1.Birgenau—welcome, etc. Wants to maintain pre-eminence of Berkeley

2. Mary Croughan—Chair of working strategies working group and member of the Commission

Her working group is looking at: 1.role of research at UC—impact of graduate education—graduate student research and studies

2.research instruction

3.h.ow to retain and recruit top faculty

4.business/industry partnerships

meeting with everyone—including NSF, NIH and industries

3. Bob Jacobsen—Access and affordability

His group is looking at where affordability has fallen short—how to improve that in the future—didn’t say much

4.Keith Williams—Education and curriculum—
Big budget problem—delivery of education –also chair of system-wide education policy group—will not mandate—but recommend to different campuses
Very vague—develop efforts to evaluate quality—1.learning assessment, outcome assessment—2. Bottlenecks to getting classes—is the cirriculum working—3. alludes to the need for each campus to find solutions
4.faculty workload
5. On-line courses –for courses that might be in jeopardy –multi-campus---(very vague)

5.Peter Taylor—Financing workgroup—1. Maximize traditional funding areas.— now on-line courses—
2. On-line giving –need unrestricted gifts!
3. Capital outlay—most now assigned to seismic and deferred maintenance—only 30% for new buildings—what we need—how to pay for it.-- third party partnerships for building
4. Efficiencies—Negotiating contracts for centralized purchases


Chris Kutz-- called for ten campus laboratories and spoke to the problem of timing—not enough time to make important decisions

Oliver O’Reilly called for transparency of the budget process

Mary Ann Mason—graduate education—dot cut programs do more with joint degrees between campuses—making use of intercampus faculty with video conference, etc.
Keep academic graduate student fees low—graduate student support critical to research excellence of the university

Staff Speakers—ratio of staff to students –keep staff ratio so we don’t have a brain drain—must keep the people that support the institution
Forum isn’t just a way to listen—and then go ahead with what they really wanted to do.

Include alumnae when speaking of UC community—faculty, students, staff and alumnae

STUDENTS

ABOUT 30 SPOKE—THESE ARE SOME OF THE THEMES THEY STRESSED

ASUC president----vision of the future—--new federal role for financing UC—postgrad and tax on corporations—more transparency—especially with the public and legislature

Fees, access and transparency

Expansion of opportunity—UC must do more to pay for its professors –should not save with the quality of instruction
Public service must be central—on line—extension
Community service
Teaching research and public service

Chavez—GSA president--graduate and professional students –Equity, diversity –pipeline from undergraduate to graduate programs

Professional students not getting enough RTA

Community based programs are being cut—must support with research
Professional fees too high—causes debt
Need better representation

Call for student representation on this Commission—they are the ones who have taken on-line courses, etc.—need student committees

Concern about fewer taking public service jobs because they owe such big debts

Great concern about make-up of Gould Commission and of Regents—not at all representative—businessmen with no real understanding

Much concern about on-line courses replacing face-to-face education

Christie Williams—on-line courses—great concern—have failed elsewhere—takes more time and more money than face-to-face—quality is key

Librarian—Internet harder than ordinary research—must keep library specialists—no representation for librarians.

Shannon Steen—UC professor (dance?)—no credibility on what working groups are actually doing. On-line not mentioned by education working group—but publicly announced that on-line is their major focus

Suzanne Guerlac
Too many decisions regarding high tuition and admission of non-residents have already been made top down—with