UCLA students may wonder why they should care about who the next
UC president will be.
The top administrator in the country’s most prestigious
public university system has an office over 400 miles north of UCLA
and works mostly with regents, administrators, faculty, politicians
and donors ““ not students.
Furthermore, students do not have much of a voice in the
selection process, let alone a vote, and the UC Board of Regents
tries to keep the search process as secret as possible.
But that does not mean decisions made by university presidents
don’t trickle down to UCLA students. Even when UC presidents
lose out on important decision making, many of the policy changes
that affect UCLA the most are made at the systemwide level, not in
Murphy Hall.
For example:
“¢bull; In 1995, The UC Regents passed SP-1 and -2, which
outlawed the use of race, ethnicity or gender in university
admissions and hiring despite opposition from then-UC President
Jack Peltason.
At UCLA, Latino and black enrollment declined, especially at the
campus’ law and medical schools.
“¢bull;Â In 1999, the regents, under current-President
Richard Atkinson’s leadership, established a partnership with
the state of California, mandating the UC take an additional 60,000
students over a 10-year period.
UCLA, the UC campus with the highest enrollment and the least
land, is now set to grow by 13 percent by 2010. Currently,
administrators struggle to look for classroom, living and parking
space for a “Tidal Wave” of incoming students.
“¢bull;Â In 2001, Atkinson voted with all the other regents
to repeal SP-1. Though prohibited by the state constitution from
reinstating pre-1995 admissions policies, many of Atkinson’s
most noticeable endeavors reframed UC admissions, extending
eligibility to more Californians and using new criteria.
UCLA, which previously admitted more than half its students on
the basis of grades and test scores alone, now selects from a pool
of top high school students after giving more weight to
applicants’ life experiences.
“¢bull;Â In 2000, the regents, again under Atkinson’s
leadership, established four science research institutes, including
two nanotechnology institutes; one is located at UCLA.
UCLA scientists are currently conducting research that could
revolutionize engineering, computer and biological sciences and
impact people’s everyday lives in countless ways. Chancellor
Albert Carnesale cited the California NanoSystems Institute as an
example of the president having a direct impact on UCLA.
In 2003, the university is at a crossroads.
California has a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, and the
university must endure some cuts. The state legislature is working
out the details of a new Master Plan for Education, which will
replace the 1960 Masterplan as the UC’s guiding document.
Enrollment growth affects all areas of university business.
The next UC president will make important decisions that will
undoubtedly affect the L.A. campus in profound ways. The two UCLA
students on the regents’ presidential search advisory
committee are looking for someone who is not afraid to face
challenges head on.
“We’re looking for a president that’s willing
to take those risks right away,” said fourth-year political
science and geography student Matt Kaczmarek, specifically
addressing admissions.
Graduate Student Association External V.P. Hanish Rathod said,
“You want to make sure you have a president who cares about
… diversity on campus, making sure there’s
funding.”