To: Academic Senate Faculty
Dear Colleagues:
Senate election season is underway. Opportunities are available for five at-large members of the Academic Senate Executive Board, twelve constituency seats on the Committee on Committees, and the Vice Chair/Chair-elect position. Nominations close March 20. See below for more details. Please consider being involved in Senate service, in these or other positions, which is so important with the challenges we are
facing at this time.
The next Legislative Assembly meeting is scheduled for April 2, 2026, 2-4 p.m. in-person. In addition to other Legislative business, we will discuss the Shared Governance Resolution report from Chancellor Frenk and EVCP Hunt, who will present the report and address questions. We will also discuss the forthcoming revised draft budgetary report (ref: interim report on structural deficit) from the Academic Senate’s Council on Planning and Budget (CPB).
Discussions are continuing on UCLA's complex budgetary picture. Our new IVC/CFO Reem Hanna-Harwell is developing comprehensive budgetary data for this fiscal year and the next. Her on-going work has been shared in the Executive Budget Action Group, which continues to strategize about how to achieve fiscal responsibility, as well as with the CPB Chair. We continue to advocate for prioritizing the academic mission above all else.
As many of you know, a tentative agreement was reached late last week between UAW academic student employees, including teaching assistants, and the UC. New contracts were also tentatively agreed upon for Student Services and Advising Professionals-UAW and Research and Public Service Professionals-UAW. These contracts, if ratified, provide substantial wage increases for these workers over the lifetime of the contract, as well as other benefits. The financial impact to UCLA from these contracts is not known yet but calculations are underway.
UC has announced its support of a $23 billion bond to help support research in California. This bond measure, SB895, has bipartisan support and would provide research funding, low-interest loans, and modernized research facilities. If you are interested in joining the UC advocacy group, please send an email to Government and Community Relations at Advocacy@support.ucla.edu.
Megan McEvoy
Chair, UCLA Academic Senate
Academic Senate Updates
March 2026
In this issue:
→ Submit Nominations for Senate Elections by March 20
→ Complete a Survey on Academic Adjustments for Student-Athletes
→ Apply for a Research Allowance Program (RAP) Grant
→ Save the Date: Legislative Assembly Meeting on April 2, 2026
→ Participate in Your Academic Senate
Submit Nominations for Senate Elections by March 20
The nomination period is open for the upcoming elections of the UCLA Academic Senate. As a reminder, Senate members will elect a Vice Chair, five at-large members of the Executive Board, and twelve members of the Committee on Committees. The nomination period ends on March 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PDT via the Academic Senate’s Data Management System. Please visit Senate Elections for information about the open positions, eligibility, and nomination process.
Complete a Survey on Academic Adjustments for Student-Athletes
The Undergraduate and Graduate Councils seek input from Senate faculty on academic adjustments for student-athletes, in the context of UCLA’s transition to the Big Ten Intercollegiate athletics conference. Complete the brief Survey of Academic Adjustments for Student-Athletes by March 31.
Apply for a Research Allowance Program (RAP) Grant
The UCLA Academic Senate’s Council on Research (COR) announced its Call for Applications for the Research Allowance Program. The COR invites Academic Senate faculty to apply for up to $5,000 in research funds for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Applications are due by March 30, 2026, 5:00 p.m. PDT.
Save the Date: Legislative Assembly Meeting on April 2, 2026
The Legislative Assembly of the Los Angeles Division of the UC Academic Senate will hold its first Spring quarter meeting on April 2, 2026, at 2 p.m,, in the California NanoSystems Institute Auditorium. The notice for the meeting will be available on March 26, 2026.
Participate in Your Academic Senate
The Academic Senate is only as strong as its engaged faculty. We encourage you to volunteer for Senate service, contact your Legislative Assembly representatives, reach out to your Faculty Executive Committee Chairs, visit the Academic Senate website to learn about current issues, and follow us on X at @UCLASenate or on Bluesky @uclasenate.bsky.social.
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