To: Members of the Los Angeles Division of the Academic Senate
Dear Senate Faculty:
Fall quarter is approaching and I hope that all of you have had an opportunity to rest and re-center over the summer. I’m honored to begin my term as Chair of the Los Angeles Division of the Academic Senate and grateful to be able to continue working with and learning from Immediate Past Chair Andrea Kasko. Andrea’s clear thinking and inclusive leadership helped us stay connected to our common purpose and treat each other with respect and empathy through last year’s difficult events. She set a high standard that I will do my best to meet.
I’m also grateful for the opportunity to work closely with Jessica Cattelino, Senate Chair from March 2022 until September 2023. While Jessica has transitioned off of the Senate Leadership, her ambitious and inclusive vision of shared governance leaves a lasting impact. And I am happy to welcome Vice Chair/Chair Elect Megan McEvoy to the leadership trio. Megan’s excellent judgment and her experience as Undergraduate Council Chair and Co-chair of the Covid Response and Recovery Task Force will strengthen the Senate’s advocacy for shared governance and for the primacy of our academic mission. Let me also express ongoing thanks to the Senate’s wise and thoughtful Executive Director, April de Stefano, and to our dedicated and talented Senate staff.
Faculty have many questions about responses to protests last spring and about plans for the coming year. The Senate — both at UCLA and systemwide — will continue to press for transparency and consistency on all matters of climate, safety, faculty rights and continuity of instruction. We will continue to defend shared governance, both at the campus level and systemwide. You may be interested in systemwide Senate Chair James Steintrager’s letter to President Drake on this subject.
I am pleased to report that Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt has agreed to speak with Senate faculty about the events of last spring and plans for fall quarter in a virtual town hall meeting, jointly sponsored by the Chancellor’s Office and the Academic Senate on September 24, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. You should have received a separate invitation to this event. Please remember that you need to RSVP in advance to attend.
The events of last spring exposed deep divisions among us as a faculty. I begin my term as Senate chair mindful of the challenges we face. But I draw hope from the depth of the values that bring us together: our collective ethos of respect, tolerance and understanding; commitment to our academic mission of research, education and service; and our pride in UCLA’s unparalleled contributions to knowledge, progress and social inclusion. These shared values sustain the common purpose that will help us navigate whatever adversity may lie ahead.
With best wishes,
Kathy Bawn
Chair, UCLA Academic Senate
Academic Senate Updates September 2024
In this issue:
New Council on Academic Personnel (CAP) Guidelines
Final Report of the APC Workgroup on Faculty Work & Recovery Post-Pandemic
Updated Senate Service Interest Survey
Your Academic Senate
New Council on Academic Personnel (CAP) Guidance
CAP has published new guidance on CAP Guidance: Advancement to Professor, Step VI on the Senate website. For Regular Professor and Professor-in-Residence series, advancement to Step VI is based not only upon performance since the last preceding advancement but also upon performance during the candidate’s entire academic career. To advance to Step VI, colleagues must demonstrate sustained and continuing excellence in the following three areas: (1) scholarship and/or creative practice; (2) university teaching; and (3) university and/or public service. Above and beyond that, great academic distinction, recognized nationally or internationally, will be required in scholarly and/or creative achievement, teaching and/or service. CAP acknowledges that criteria of accomplishment vary from field to field.
Final Report of the Joint Senate-Administration Working Group on Faculty Work & Recovery Post Pandemic
The Final Report of the APC Workgroup on Faculty Work & Recovery Post-Pandemic “focuses on the problem of faculty ‘workload creep’ and proposes five key recommendations to support faculty activities in research, teaching, and service. These recommendations include: 1) reducing the burden of new systems and policies on faculty workloads; 2) enhancing networking and peer mentoring opportunities; 3) reassessing research support programs, including the incorporation of Achievement Relative to Opportunities (ARO) principles in academic personnel reviews for equitable performance assessment; 4) maintaining benefits and family-focused retention efforts; and 5) increasing staff support for faculty and research activities.”
Updated Senate Service Interest Survey
It is easier now to share your interest in Senate service with an improved survey. Use the Service Volunteer Form to do so.
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.
