To: Academic Senate Faculty
Dear Colleagues:
I write to share with you some updates from the Academic Senate.
In December, EVCP Hunt and Chancellor Frenk sent responses to the resolutions on transparency of the budget and information technology that were endorsed at the fall Legislative Assembly meeting. The Senate Leadership then responded to the administration’s letter on budget transparency with a “Corrections of Fact” letter, which is available on the Senate’s homepage. This issue will continue to be discussed at the next Legislative Assembly meeting on February 5, 2026, which will be held on Zoom. All Senate Faculty are welcome to join although only present Legislative Assembly Representatives may vote on agenda items.
The Chancellor’s Executive Budget Action Group has finalized a methodology that will be used to prioritize budget decisions. This group has now met four times since starting in December 2025.
Two surveys of Senate faculty that we recently conducted on "Red Tape” and Town Halls have now closed. We are still in the process of digesting all the responses, however, a few takeaways are apparent. In brief, the most frequently mentioned bureaucracy issues were mandatory training, travel and entertainment, and IT/software, while faculty experienced the most frustration with purchasing, travel and entertainment, and IT/software. The Town Hall survey results show that most faculty respondents appreciated the opportunity to gather and hear from other faculty and engage with administrators, though there was a mixed response about the overall utility of the events. The majority of faculty indicated a preference for Zoom meetings rather than in person. More details about the results of both surveys will soon be forthcoming.
To better ensure preparedness for a rapidly unfolding campus emergency, Senate Leadership and the Undergraduate and Graduate Council Administrative Committees participated in a mock emergency exercise last week organized by Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus and Community Safety Lurie. During this exercise, the Senate practiced coordinated decision-making on instructional modalities. Through exercises such as these, we aim to make and communicate decisions rapidly to participate in shared governance even during emergency situations.
Senate Leadership met with several UC Regents and others this week to discuss shared governance, faculty priorities, and current federal funding issues affecting the academic mission.
Sincerely,
Megan McEvoy
Chair, UCLA Academic Senate
Academic Senate Updates
January 2026
In this issue:
→ Next Legislative Assembly Meeting on February 5, 2026
→ Update on Recent Legislative Assembly Resolutions
→ Executive Board Letter on Senate’s Role in Evaluation of Academic Programs
→ Results From UCLA Senate Faculty Mini Survey on Bureaucracy
→ Results From UCLA Senate Faculty Survey on Town Halls
→ UCLA Task Force on Adaptation to Disruptions (UCLAAD) Update
→ Your Academic Senate
Next Legislative Assembly Meeting on February 5, 2026
The Legislative Assembly of the Los Angeles Division of the UC Academic Senate will hold its winter quarter meeting on February 5, 2026, on Zoom. The notice for the meeting will be available on Jan. 29, 2026.
Update on Recent Legislative Assembly Resolutions
The Legislative Assembly of the Los Angeles Division of the UC Academic Senate endorsed two resolutions at its November 2025 meeting. Chancellor Frenk and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Hunt’s responses to the resolutions are available on the Senate website and directly at Resolution on Financial Transparency and the Restoration of Shared Governance in Budget Planning and Resolution on Information Technology Accountability, Transparency, and Shared Governance. The latter link also includes a recently issued Corrections of Fact letter.
Executive Board Letter on Senate’s Role in Evaluation of Academic Programs
Read the Executive Board’s letter to the Chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost about the UCLA Academic Senate’s role in evaluation of academic programs. The Executive Board affirmed the quality and value of our academic degree programs, recommended that the budget deficit be addressed through cuts to non-academic programs and adding new revenue sources in auxiliaries, and that funding decisions about academic degree programs are transparent, fair, and maintain the academic excellence of UCLA.
Results From UCLA Senate Faculty Mini Survey on Bureaucracy
471 Senate faculty responded to the “red tape” survey. The Senate will release more information shortly, however preliminary analysis indicates that respondents most frequently mentioned mandatory training, travel and entertainment, and IT/software as obstacles. They experienced the most frustration with purchasing, travel and entertainment, and IT/software respectively.
Results From UCLA Senate Faculty Survey on Town Halls
338 respondents provided feedback on the three Senate events held for Senate faculty during summer and fall 2025. While a full analysis is forthcoming, high-level takeaways are that respondents had mixed feelings about the events: some appreciated an opportunity for Senate faculty to gather outside of the formal Senate meeting structure to ask questions of senior administrators. However, many expressed frustrations with a lack of accountability and transparency from senior administrators who offered unsubstantial answers. Respondents suggested more substantive engagement with a majority preference for a quarterly event held via Zoom.
UCLA Task Force on Adaptation to Disruptions (UCLAAD) Update
Last fall, the Senate formed a task force on UCLA Adaptation to Disruption (UCLAAD). Similar to the systemwide UCAD task force, UCLAAD’s charge directs it to “develop response strategies that aim to uphold the academic mission at UCLA, with a primary focus on research and instruction, in the context of disruptions, uncertainties, and evolving shifts in the higher education landscape.” The task force is meeting regularly through winter quarter with the goal of producing a report by spring.
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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