To: Academic Senate Faculty
Dear Colleagues:
The Academic Senate’s voice is more important than ever as higher education navigates a challenging political landscape. Senate guidance reminds administrative leaders of the importance of protecting the academic mission under turbulent conditions. With that goal in mind, the systemwide Senate’s Academic Council drafted a statement regarding The Defense of the University. This statement was unanimously endorsed by the Council and transmitted to President Drake with the request that he forward it to the Board of Regents and to the Chancellors of each of the ten campuses. UCLA’s Executive Board has endorsed the systemwide statement, as well as a Statement in Support of the Core Mission and Values of Higher Education in the United States of America, which was drafted collaboratively by faculty governance leaders in the Big Ten Academic Alliance. These statements will be considered by the Legislative Assembly at our May 15 meeting. I hope you will read both.
Here at UCLA, Senate members offer advice and guidance through participation on divisional and systemwide workgroups. Senate leadership uses every opportunity remind the administration that the academic mission must always take first priority. In all venues, Senate voices call for (a) meeting challenges with holistic, strategic mission-centered approaches, (b) defending academic freedom and faculty control of the curriculum, and (c) protecting the safety and privacy of faculty, students and staff. We are focusing in particular on the importance of maintaining excellence in doctoral education. The Senate is leading the way in analyzing the magnitude of challenges in this area as a necessary step toward workable solutions.
At the April 3 Legislative Assembly (LgA) meeting, I asked LgA representatives for their thoughts on how the Academic Senate should use our institutional voice. What additional guidance can we offer our administration as to how to best protect the academic mission? What are our most important shared priorities? I am grateful to the LgA reps who have shared ideas on these and related questions. To allow for broader input from all Senate faculty, we have created a brief online form (SSO login required) with a short set of questions about priorities and space to offer any thoughts you may wish to share. Please take a moment to share your thoughts by Wednesday, April 23.
Kathy Bawn
Chair, Academic Senate
Academic Senate Updates
April 2025
In this issue:
→ Upcoming UC Academic Assembly Meeting
→ UC Senate Statement On The Defense Of The University
→ UC Senate Statement On The Politicization Of Research
→ Survey Of UCLA Senate Faculty
→ Senate Elections
→ Your Academic Senate
Upcoming UC Academic Assembly Meeting
The Assembly of the UC Academic Senate will meet Wednesday, April 23, 2025, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. via Zoom. The Notice of Meeting (agenda) is available on the Assembly web page. UC Academic Senate members who are not voting Assembly members but wish to attend must register using a UC email address. Registration is first come, first served, with a capacity limit of 1,000 participants.
UC Senate Statement On The Defense Of The University
The Academic Council of the systemwide Academic Senate unanimously endorsed a statement titled The Defense of the University and transmitted it to the Council of Chancellors and the Board of Regents. The two-page statement includes the following advice: “We thus call on the Regents, President, and Chancellors of the University of California to expend every effort, commit necessary resources, and use all legal measures to defend our ability to conduct consequential, transformative research and provide high-quality teaching and mentoring. We call on our leaders to ensure the safety and privacy of students, faculty, and staff. And we further call on our leaders to protect academic freedom and faculty control of the curriculum—proactively and publicly."
UC Senate Statement On The Politicization Of Research
The Academic Council of the UC Academic Senate recently sent a letter to President Drake endorsing the Statement on the Politicization of Research developed by the University Committee on Academic Freedom. The statement urged UC leadership to affirm the principles of academic freedom articulated in the statement and to take proactive steps to safeguard the scholarly autonomy of UC faculty.
Survey Of UCLA Senate Faculty
As mentioned above, Academic Senate Chair Kathy Bawn asks all Senate Faculty at UCLA to complete this short survey to provide anonymous feedback. Please do so by Wednesday, April 23.
Senate Elections
Voting for the next Vice Chair/Chair-Elect of the Academic Senate and for members of the Committee on Committees began this week. The voting period runs from April 15, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. and continues until April 29, 2025, 12:00 p.m. Voting is important, quick, and easy. Cast your ballot by logging into the Academic Senate Data Management System (DMS) during the voting period.
Your Academic Senate
The Academic Senate is only as strong as its engaged faculty. We uphold the principle of faculty governance in higher education only when faculty exercise their governing authority. We welcome you to volunteer, contact your Legislative Assembly representatives, reach out to your Faculty Executive Committee Chairs who serve on the Council of Faculty Chairs, visit the Academic Senate website, and follow us on X at @UCLASenate or on Bluesky @uclasenate.bsky.social.
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