To: Members of the Los Angeles Division of the Academic Senate
Dear Senate Faculty:
I hope you all had a successful Fall Quarter and restful Winter Break. Indeed, it had been an eventful quarter. Below you will find updates on a few Senate matters. I’d also like to specifically address two key issues we are grappling with as a campus: academic freedom in higher education; and the expansion of our campus, especially in the context of our priorities as an R1 university.
Academic Freedom
We are seeing challenges to academic freedom across the country. To quote a recent update from the American Association of University Professors, “polarizing times demand robust academic freedom … the integrity of research, teaching, and learning in US higher education is under sustained attack.” External influencers — including donors, legislators and well-funded political organizations — are demanding that institutions across the country crack down on what can be said or expressed on campus. There are movements to restrict public education curriculum under the guise that open discussion and analysis of some topics causes social harm. Academic freedom is a core value of our institution, and its protection is necessary to advance our academic mission of research, teaching and service.
The Academic Senate has vigorously supported the academic freedom of both our instructors and students throughout challenging times, including in the past quarter. We recognize that there are often conflicting claims to academic freedom by different people in the same environment. We also value inclusion in research and teaching/learning. In order to provide better support in the classroom, I’ve asked our Committee on Academic Freedom, Undergraduate Council and Graduate Council to work together on the Principles on Course Requirements and Academic Freedom, which we expect to distribute following their review by the Executive Board this quarter.
Campus Expansion and Institutional Priorities
By now, many of you have seen the announcement that UCLA acquired the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall for development as a UCLA Research Park, which will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering. This is the third property acquisition for UCLA in 15 months (in addition to the Trust Building in downtown Los Angeles and the UCLA South Bay Campus in Palos Verdes and San Pedro).
While each of these properties are tied to the academic mission of research, teaching and service (which should also inform decision making regarding their use), many of you may be asking how we can afford these acquisitions in the context of the recent labor contract for graduate student academic employees, the modest salary increases for faculty (which were offset for many by increases in health insurance costs) and other financial challenges to campus. It’s a fair question, and one that the Senate leadership has raised. It will be important to involve faculty in decision-making for each of these properties, and to be transparent about both the short- and long-term costs and benefits of these acquisitions. We’ve encouraged administration to seek input from faculty in the process of campus expansion to ensure we are prioritizing the academic mission and serving all parts of campus. We encourage you to send questions to your Legislative Assembly (LgA) representatives (Chancellor Block and EVCP Hunt will present at the LgA meeting on February 8, 2024), to attend any information sessions about the acquisitions and to otherwise engage on envisioning how these properties can be best utilized to support research, teaching and service.
I wish you all a successful Winter quarter. Please feel free to drop by my Senate Chair office hours, or to drop me an email anytime.
All the best,
Andrea Kasko
Chair, UCLA Academic Senate
Academic Senate Updates
January 2024
In this issue:
→ Guidance For Instructors
→ UCLA Associate Degree for Transfer Pilot Program
→ New Council on Academic Personnel Guidance
→ Save The Dates
→ Your Faculty Executive Committee
→ Your Academic Senate
Guidance For Instructors
As a reminder, the Senate distributed Academic Guidance for Instruction during the Middle East Crisis which links to other campus resources on managing classrooms during these difficult times.
UCLA Associate Degree for Transfer Pilot Program
Starting in the 2026–27 academic year, UCLA will launch a new Associate Degree for Transfer Pilot Program. The Undergraduate Council and Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools (CUARS) have jointly charged a task force to develop an implementation plan and recommend majors to launch the pilot in the 2026-27 academic year.
New Council on Academic Personnel Guidance
The Council on Academic Personnel (CAP) has added newly revised guidance for arts faculty to its CAP Guidance page. In updating its guidance on the evaluation of contributions to the arts, CAP focuses attention on the contents of the dossier and how these materials can serve as the basis for a productive personnel review. Particular kinds of documentation that shed detailed light on a colleague’s achievement in the arts are essential for dossiers that undergo review by CAP.
Save The Dates:
Chair Office Hours
Drop by monthly informal "office hours" with Senate Chair Kasko at the Playa Café in the UCLA Faculty Club from 10:30 am to noon on the first Tuesday of the month.
Legislative Assembly Meetings
The Legislative Assembly of the Los Angeles Division meets four times per academic year. The next meeting will be on Thursday, February 8, 2024 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm via Zoom. More information to follow.
Academic Senate Elections
The Senate will hold elections this spring to determine the next Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect of the Senate (who will become the Senate Chair in 2025–2026), elect At-Large members of the Executive Board, members of the Committee on Committees and numerous departmental representatives of the Legislative Assembly. Information about opportunities to run for a position and vote in the elections will be shared via BruinPost in early March 2024.
Your Faculty Executive Committee
Each School and the College has a Faculty Executive Committee (FEC). An FEC is part of the Academic Senate per Systemwide Bylaw 50. One of the many roles of the FEC includes its curricular authority per Systemwide Bylaw 51, which states: “No change in the curriculum of any college or school shall be made by any legislative agency of the Academic Senate until the proposed change has been submitted to the formal consideration of the Faculty concerned.” FECs have a formal advisory role with regard to academic personnel and budgets. Notably, “the chief academic administrative officer of the college or school shall be an ex officio member of the Executive Committee but may not serve as Chair of the Faculty or the Executive Committee.” Find the name of your FEC chair on the Council of Faculty Chairs page.
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.
Download this BruinPost PDF Here.
