At the March 13 and 14 UC Board of Regents meeting at UCSF Mission Bay, the UC Regents discussed the search for a new UC President, along with other issues the University is facing.
The meeting addressed caps to UC Student Health Insurance Plans, energy efficiency, as well as members of the public during the Board to divest from fossil fuels. Regents also discussed making the UC System more oriented toward social media, encouraging students and alumni to garner funds through media platforms, such as Twitter.
On March 1, the UC Regents announced an international search for a new UC President to follow President Mark G. Yudof. Yudof is stepping down in August.
According to a UC Student Association press release, the Regents’ Special Committee, which is the hiring team searching for a new UC President, is working in collaboration with the Student Advisory Committee, which is composed of one representative per campus and the UCSA President, Raquel Morales. These representatives include undergraduates, graduates and professional students.
“As the Student Advisory Committee, we have submitted comments on what students seek in the next UC President as well as issues in which we think the next UC President should be addressing,” said Morales, a fourth-year UC San Diego student, in an email interview.
Morales said the Student Advisory Committee have also submitted a list of recommended names of potential candidates for the UC Regents to consider. After the Regents’ Special Committee completes their list of candidates, the Student Advisory Committee will assemble to interview those candidates.
“At the current time, the search committee is not yet examining specific names. It is just trying to perfect the criteria and characteristics it is looking for,” said UC Student Regent Jonathan Stein, a member of the Regents’ Special Committee, in an email interview.
According to the UC Newsroom, the Regent’s Special Committee is working with representatives from Isaacson, Miller, an executive search firm, in the investigation process for a new UC President. The Committee plans to propose a candidate to the UC Regents at a Board of Regents meeting in July.
“The UCSA students want a president that is a partner and will work collaboratively with the students and has a collaborative leadership style. We need a president who will work with us, not against us,” said Darius Kemp, UCSA Communications and Organizing Director.
Morales spoke at the Regents meeting last week, asking regents to focus on a number of issues, including Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (PDST), the UC SHIP program and online education.
“We are asking the Board of Regents that they do not increase PDSTs for this upcoming year,” Morales said.
The Student Advisory Committee is also asking for the elimination of the yearly and lifetime caps from UC SHIP. In addition, they are calling for an end to using student fees to cover UC SHIP’s debt, which is currently an estimated $57 million.
The next Board of Regents meeting is scheduled for May 14 to 16 in Sacramento.
KELLEY DRECHSLER can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
