In her first official State of the Campus Address, Chancellor Linda Katehi announced several new plans, which she hopes will resolve some challenges that developed during her term so far.
The address was held last Thursday at 2:10 p.m. in the Conference Center Ballroom.
Among those plans includes what she called the Organizational Excellence initiative, which will consolidate service centers for human resources, accounting and payroll.
“[The initiative] recognizes that academic excellence cannot be achieved unless the academic units are supported by an administration that is lean, effective, transparent, service-oriented and innovative,” Katehi said in her address.
Part of this initiative aims to reduce the central administration and replenish resources to academic units. Excluding the UC Davis Health System, Katehi cited an average 30 percent cut made to the central administrative units and a 15 percent cut to academic units.
In addition, Katehi announced efforts by the UC President and chancellors to end furloughs this coming August.
She also announced several advancements in UC Davis research, the administration’s advocacy efforts, increases in sustainability and various administrative changes.
Katehi anticipated with these administrative changes, the campus may see a savings of 20 to 50 percent.
After the address, Katehi took questions from the sparse audience – which Academic Senate Chair Bob Powell attributed to the event’s web broadcast availability. An Academic Senate Representative Assembly meeting followed the address.
– Lauren Steussy
