To: Faculty and Campus Leadership
Dear Colleagues:
We write to request that you review and act on the Report of the Joint Task Force on the Future of Graduate Programs and Graduate Student Support (PDF).
The charge to the Joint Task Force was to recommend answers to a series of questions regarding financial support for graduate students and programs, academic training and employment, graduate program size, and the relationship between graduate and undergraduate programs. A key takeaway of the report is its recognition that in order for the university to maintain its strong presence in graduate education and as a leading R1 university, it is likely that the majority of cost increases will have to be funded from the current budget, with decisions about funding these costs resting with the university’s senior leadership with authority over campuswide budgets, in consultation with the Academic Senate. Notably, the Task Force felt strongly that the university’s response to these increased costs should be made in a way that preserves the quality of education and research at UCLA to the greatest extent possible and avoids actions, such as dramatically reducing graduate student admissions, that will fundamentally alter UCLA’s position as a preeminent public research university.
We thank the Joint Task Force’s members for their extensive work and recommendations. Co-chaired by Professor of Neurobiology James Bisley and Dean of Graduate Education Susan Ettner, membership on the Joint Task Force included Professor of English Helen Deutsch; Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education Adriana Galván; Professor of Integrative Biology and Physiology David Glanzman; Special Assistant to the EVCP on Academic Planning and Budget Jeff Lewis; Professor of Biological Chemistry, Chemistry and Biochemistry Joseph Loo; Manager of Labor Relations Kim Picon; Professor of Computer Science Jens Palsberg; and then-Dean of the School of the Arts and Architecture Brett Steele.
We encourage you to discuss the report in departmental and administrative settings and consider ways to incorporate the recommendations into your strategic planning. We welcome your feedback and ideas.
Sincerely,
Darnell Hunt
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Andrea M. Kasko
Chair, Academic Senate
Download this BruinPost PDF Here.
