Monday, September 22, 1997 As his term begins, Carnesale is
offered advice and support ADMINISTRATION: The new leader is
advised to increase autonomy, "keep doing what he is doing"
By Tyler Maxwell
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
If you were taking over the position of chief executive officer
of a multimillion-dollar corporation, the first thing you would
want would be some good advice.
As the new chancellor, Albert Carnesale is essentially the new
CEO of UCLA, responsible for the day-to-day management of campus
personnel, student affairs, research policies, finances and public
affairs of one of the largest universities in the nation.
Coming from Harvard, Carnesale may not be versed in the economic
ways of Los Angeles. So what does he need to know about UCLA?
"The job of leading UCLA requires someone who is part
intellectual leader, part politician, part banker and part
executive with a big dose of human understanding mixed in with all
of it," said William Ouchi, an Anderson School professor and chief
of staff to Mayor Richard Riordan.
About that executive part, what do his people have to say to
him?
Executive Vice Chancellor Charles Kennel serves as the chief
operating officer and acts as chancellor in Carnesale’s absence.
Kennel, for one, remains positive about the new chancellor’s
performance since he took over in July.
"The main advice is to keep doing what he is doing," Kennel
said. "(Carnesale) needs to get out and meet the large and diverse
faculty and alumni, which he has been doing. He needs to keep on
learning; this is an educational institution."
Along with his new duties, Carnesale is also faced with
eliminating some of the old paradigms that were formed under
Chancellor Emeritus Charles E. Young’s 29-year tenure.
"Chancellor Young was our leader for so long, he hired every
chief executive at UCLA," Ouchi said. "That type of leadership is
no longer possible nor desirable."
A major challenge for the new chancellor is increasing the
autonomy of his executive staff – something that was lacking during
Young’s tenure.
"(Carnesale) is going to have to wean them away from coming to
him for answers," Ouchi said.
Carnesale also faces the challenge of adjusting to the economic
climate of the West Coast, which differs from that of the East
Coast.
"Unlike the East Coast, on the West Coast (especially Southern
California), power is diffuse. There is not one political figure or
group that can make things happen," Ouchi said.
"If (Carnesale) wants to make things happen, he is going to have
to talk to three to four times as many people as he did in Boston,"
he added.
Experts have noted that Carnesale has the advantage of taking
UCLA’s helm during an economically prosperous point of the
decade.
"Los Angeles has been the center of the worst regional recession
in the early ’90s," said Tom Lieser, executive director of business
forecasting at the Anderson School.
Higher education has felt the pinch of reduced government
spending in several of the local economic sectors, but "now it
looks like the frugality will be somewhat less," Lieser said.
"At least (Carnesale) is not starting with the baggage of the
good old days. Now the economy is improving."
The university is a major force in the economic vitality of the
Los Angeles area.
In addition to things such as the hospital, athletics and
real-estate revenue, UCLA’s payroll supports more than 20,000
direct jobs and stimulates as many as 30,000 additional jobs in the
greater Los Angeles area, according to the Anderson School’s
Business Forecasting Project.
To put it into perspective for the new chancellor, "I would
stress the role of the University of California system in the
economic development of the state and the assimilation of the
various groups immigrating to this state," said Michael Brennan,
professor of money and banking at the Anderson School.
Immigration is certainly an important element in California,
especially here. Los Angeles has long been a hub of cultural
diversity.
Along with this diversity comes the problems that arise due to
some people’s lack of understanding of how to handle this
multiculturalism. In this, Carnesale also has a responsibility,
some say.
"Providing national leadership (on) how we deal with race and
ethnicity is going to be one of the more complex of his duties,"
Ouchi noted.
Amid the complexity of the position of chancellor of UCLA,
Carnesale has the feedback of many Los Angeles veterans to assist
him in his role as leader. It seems Carnesale’s ace in the hole is
that he is well-liked among officials.
"So far, the buzz about him is extremely positive," Ouchi
said.
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
New Chancellor Albert Carnesale has been encouraged to give his
staff more autonomy and keep on contributing to Los Angeles’
prosperity.