Berkeley Law Dean Christopher Edley, Jr. announced yesterday that UC President Mark Yudof and Board of Regents Chairman Russell Gould have appointed him to a 20-person body that will make recommendations for sustaining the university’s mission in the face of severe financial challenges.
Gould created the body—dubbed the Commission on the Future of UC—in consultation with Yudof to, as he states in a July 16 letter to the Regents, “. . .consult with the entire university community to help craft the vision to best serve California in the years ahead.” Gould’s letter, along with the full list of appointees, can be viewed in its entirety here.
Edley—who in December 2008 was also tapped by Yudof to serve as his special advisor—expressed pleasure at being selected and enthusiasm for the work ahead. “I consider this quite an honor,” he states in his emailed announcement to the law school, “and I am bullish about the prospects for important progress.”
Edley’s upbeat message reflects Gould’s determination to act proactively to maintain UC’s excellence. “We need to act now to ensure that, through the state’s budget crisis and long-term pattern of disinvestment, we don’t sacrifice one shred of quality of this university system,” his letter states.
Commission members were drawn from across the university system and include the chancellors of UCLA, Irvine, and Santa Barbara, among others. Yudof—also a member of Berkeley Law’s faculty—will co-chair the commission along with Gould.
In keeping with the commission’s charge to reach out to the entire university community, Edley plans to consult broadly. In particular, he says, “I look forward to getting thoughts from students, staff, faculty, and alumni as the process develops.”
Although Gould has asked the commission to provide its recommendations early next year, there is speculation that the commission will report back on some issues before the end of the year.
For a more detailed account, see http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/21526