During the UC Board of Regents meeting at UCLA on Thursday, the board covered issues including the bid for management of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the discussion and approval of administrative compensation salaries.
This came after a day where most discussion and action heatedly surrounded the topic of fee increases for both undergraduate and graduate students.
During the session for oversight committee for the Department of Energy laboratories, Robert Foley, the vice president of laboratory administration, updated the regents on the status of UC-managed laboratories. This included the university’s status in continuing its bid for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a nuclear research facility.
The university’s current management contract is set to end September of this year.
The university is part of a collective consortium, which includes Bechtel National Inc., BWX Technologies Inc., Texas A&M University, Washington Group International and Battelle, who are currently bidding for the management contract.
This consortium is competing with two additional groups of companies for the bid.
Though he was vague about the status of other competitors for the lab bid, Foley said a transitional team has been put into place to help ensure a smooth changeover if the collective consortium receives the bid.
Foley also spoke on the Department of Energy’s decision for choosing the laboratory’s design of a reliable replacement warhead, which he said he believed was compatible with the needs of the department’s program.
“There seems to be a stronger pedigree in the Livermore design,” Foley said.
Later on in the meeting, the regents appointed two executive administrators, one of which was a newly created position. According to a UC Office of the President press release, the two appointments are part of a management restructuring to increase transparency throughout UCOP.
The regents approved Diane Griffiths as the new secretary and chief of staff for the board, having previously served as the state counsel of the California State Assembly Rules Committee.
Regent Chairman Richard Blum said the position will report directly to the regents and will be responsible for coordinating and facilitating all the work of the board. The position and its duties have also been expanded as a part of the restructuring.
“As we enter a new era of management, long-range planning and public transparency, Diane’s expertise in helping the regents to guide policies, manage challenges and move forward crucial goals and programs will enhance the university’s ability to fulfill its mission to serve the people of California,” Blum said in a statement.
The regents also appointed Katie Lapp to a newly created position as the university’s executive vice president for business operations, which would be responsible to help improve accountability of the UC’s administrative support operations and provide oversight for the university’s audit activities.
“(Lapp’s) consensus-building leadership, breadth of experience and administrative skills will help us continue to make the UC’s business operations more efficient, more strategic and more effective in fulfilling our mission to shape the university’s and California’s future,” UC President Robert Dynes said.
Also during the meeting, Rory Hume, provost and vice president of health affairs, updated the regents on the university’s involvement with stem cell research and progress that has been made within the field. Also assisting the presentation were UCLA faculty and researchers Judith Gasson and Owen Witte.
Many regents, including Sherry Lansing, showed support of the progress the university was making in the field, praising the recent grant money that nine out of the 10 UC campuses received from the Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
UCLA received nine of these grants, the most for any campus.
“This work is the most exciting work that any scientist will ever tell you they’ve ever been involved in. And the UC system is taking an incredible lead,” Lansing said.
The meeting also held the debris of the previous day’s decisions as professional students spoke about their financial circumstances and the potential impact of the approved 7 to 10 percent fee hike.
During the public comment session, Monica Sanchez, the president of the Graduate Students Association, spoke about her financial and personal circumstances. She said she has an 8-year-old son and has had to take out many loans to afford her higher education.
Sanchez said she believes that what was not taken into account for the professional school fee increases were that some students are parents and may have an extra financial load to help sustain their families.