To: Members of the Los Angeles Division of the Academic Senate
Dear Colleagues:
Please consider joining your Academic Senate in voicing support for a Faculty Rebuilding and Renewal Initiative at UCLA. The Executive Board of the Los Angeles Division of the Academic Senate recently urged support for a Faculty Rebuilding and Renewal Initiative (PDF) from Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Hunt and Chancellor Block. Enrollment growth, post-pandemic recovery, and rebalancing student-to-faculty ratios to advance educational and research excellence require an investment in faculty.
We proposed this initiative to include (this is not exhaustive):
- Ladder faculty hiring (reducing class sizes)
- Faculty salary increases (which have lost ground)
- Pandemic teaching recognition and relief, perhaps in sabbatical credits or additional teaching release
- Pandemic research recovery grants
- Teaching support
Our concerns are echoed in the recent report on the 2022 Systemwide UC Faculty Survey (PDF) about faculty experiences with remote and hybrid instruction during the pandemic as well as the personal impact of the pandemic on their work and family lives. They also align with recommendations from the joint Senate-Administration University of California Mitigating COVID-19 Impacts on Faculty Working Group Final Report.
Your Academic Senate is advocating for this initiative in committee, council, and leadership meetings with Administration. However, your voices and stories have the most impact. We encourage you to:
- Read the full letter (PDF)
- Add the topic to your next department, center, or program meeting agenda
- Discuss this initiative with your Faculty Executive Committee chair
- Raise the idea with your Legislative Assembly representatives (PDF)
- Share your views with your school or division dean
- Write an email to your departmental, divisional/school, and campus leadership
- Attend Thursday’s Legislative Assembly meeting and participate in the question-and-answer period with administrative leaders
We recognize past campus programs from the Administration and the Academic Senate that provided resources for pandemic recovery, and now we seek additional commitments to build a brighter future for teaching, research, service, and faculty wellbeing at UCLA.
Sincerely,
Jessica Cattelino
Chair, UCLA Academic Senate
Download this BruinPost (PDF) Here
