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September 28, 1999 To: Campus Community From: M.R.C. Greenwood, Chancellor Dear Colleagues: There is no more important work than preparing the leaders of tomorrow, even as we discover and share knowledge that is meaningful for today. Whether we are faculty at the forefront of our disciplines working with students in lectures and labs, or staff supporting the academic enterprise in myriad ways, all of us are engaged in one of society's most meaningful pursuits. With the opening of the fall quarter, we are commencing an academic year during which the world will celebrate the arrival of the year 2000, and--as we have agreed in the Millennium Committee report--this is the century in which UC Santa Cruz will achieve full maturity as a leading research university. Even as we relish the prospect of opportunities implicit in this new beginning, we must continue working together to meet the challenges of change. UC Santa Cruz is operating at the leading edge. Our faculty members are in the vanguard of generating new ideas and discovering knowledge. Our shared values for innovation and service make a meaningful difference in the quality of education enjoyed by students and in creating and enhancing the quality of life for this community, the region, and beyond. We prize innovation, collaboration, and commitment to excellence, as we transform lives, sometimes in unique and unconventional ways. I reiterate these values and attributes, not only as a call for shared pride in who we are and what we do, but also to propose the links that join us. UC Santa Cruz is growing. There are four reasons why growth is necessary: 1) our academic plan requires the expansion of the number of faculty and the students they attract in order to achieve the full maturity of our academic programs--programs that promise significant benefits for our students and for society; 2) we are a public institution dedicated to serving the burgeoning population of California; 3) we are a campus of the University of California, which is committed to educating the top 12.5 percent of the state's students; 4) we value access for all qualified students, including those who may be the first in their families to attend a university. The need for growth to provide access to tomorrow's leaders and to accept UCSC's share of the students attending the University of California is especially apparent in light of the report issued last week by the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC). The report projects that the number of students seeking higher education in California will increase dramatically in the next ten years. For the University of California, CPEC estimates that enrollment will grow from 173,570 in 1998 to 229,724 by 2010, a total increase of 56,154 (32 percent). Even with a 10th site, every UC campus will need to increase enrollment in order to accommodate this surge. The complete CPEC report is found online (http://www.cpec.ca.gov/). So, it is evident that we must grow. We also want to grow in order to achieve the full potential of our academic programs. There are a number of examples of the advantages that growth already provides our campus, and here are a representative few of them. A bachelor's of music degree has been created and film and video has expanded to become the Film and Digital Media Department, both enhanced by the recently completed $32 million Improvement to the Arts facilities project. We have a new Ph.D. program in politics and another in environmental toxicology. There is a newly approved master's degree program in environmental studies, awarded enroute to the Ph.D. The campus has also launched new undergraduate pathways in environmental biology (biology major), environmental chemistry (chemistry/biochemistry major), environmental geology and ocean sciences (earth sciences major), and electronic music (music major). Along with the new offerings of the Jack Baskin School of Engineering, including electrical engineering, the newly funded Campus Curriculum Initiative led by Professor Michael Cowan, and vital curricula in every discipline campuswide, these new programs provide a rich environment in which significant research and teaching expand our campus's opportunities. Other exciting instructional programs to meet the demand of a growing student population with evolving expectations are under development as well. Another example that underscores the opportunities for the campus and the benefits to society that strategic growth provides is the recent announcement of the National Science Foundation's funding of a Center for Adaptive Optics. Funded at approximately $20 million, the new center is one of only five national centers created this year. The Center for Adaptive Optics not only will advance land-based telescope research, but it also promises tremendous opportunities for basic research, plus potential applications, for human eye health. An additional important aspect of the center is its outreach programs, involving K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students, which will interface with our campuswide efforts for expanded outreach activities. (See http://oasas.ucsc.edu/epc/ for more information on the Educational Partnership Center and its innovative approach to effective outreach.) This level of national recognition is another indicator of UCSC's increasing reputation as a major research university. In fact, UCSC has enjoyed an overall growth in research dollars, with a record $50.6 million gained in contracts and grants last year. One of the many "invitations to action" of the Millennium Committee was that we focus our ongoing efforts in Santa Clara County and develop long-term plans to build relationships with this vital part of California. At the same time, there is strong enthusiasm for a regional site in Santa Clara Valley in order to respond to the University of California's increasing enrollment, to intensify partnerships with the community colleges, and to develop exemplary distance learning. Taking the initiative in these matters, a task force, cochaired by Professor Manuel Pastor and Vice Chancellor Francisco Hernandez, worked diligently to assess the current efforts in Silicon Valley. These include service to more than 50,000 students enrolled in UCSC Extension courses, activities involving our rapidly expanding outreach and teacher preparation programs, the conduct of our existent research relationships in Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Engineering, Humanities, and the Arts, and the evolving perception in Santa Clara County that UC Santa Cruz is an important part of the higher education network. This task force learned a great deal, and its findings and recommendations are in the process of being shared with the Academic Senate and other interested parties. It is expected that the Regents' budget will include an initiative for a Santa Clara Regional Center, for which UC Santa Cruz has been designated as the lead. In order to assess new opportunities for cooperative programming and to enhance and develop productive partnerships in Santa Clara County, we have hired Connie Martinez, former vice president of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, a well-respected nonprofit regional collaborative established to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in the Silicon Valley. Connie served previously as deputy city manager of Mountain View, and she is the mother of a recent UCSC graduate. As expectations of the Silicon Valley proposal evolve, they will be shared widely through the extensive consultative process that has characterized UCSC decision making over the past few years. Given the changes and choices that are inherent in growth, there are many opportunities to work together. I invite us to adopt a collaborative attitude, which includes the preference to "join hands, rather than point fingers." The favorable outcome of discussions with the City of Santa Cruz and the partnership that is explicit in the agreement signed earlier this week are an example of what can be accomplished by cooperation and the willingness to compromise. (Some of the details you may have learned in news media reports were not completely accurate. I invite anyone who is interested to read for themselves the full text of the joint resolution.) I echo the sentiments expressed at the news conference announcing the accord brokered very successfully by Assembly Member and Speaker pro Tem Fred Keeley. He said that the work had been accomplished "without compromising principles but with principled compromise." To achieve that ideal as we address together the issues of change, communication of every kind must be intensified. We may not always reach unanimity on the decisions we make as we move forward, but at a minimum, we should all be well informed about each other's perspectives, and we should ground our opinions in facts. As an example of the kind of information available, please refer to the update on the various campus projects, "UCSC: Construction plans for 1999-2000." Among my highest priorities this year is to communicate even more with faculty, students, and staff, to gain the benefit of your ideas and to let you know directly my aspirations for us all. I plan to announce soon a series of regular open meetings on specific topics. Please refer to Currents Online and to messages that have been distributed via the administrative e-mail tree for notices of these discussions. Because they are inextricably linked to our future as a vital university, growth, construction, and the attendant issues deservedly occupy some of our serious consideration. We also face other equally important challenges, none perhaps more important than the issue of student success, especially in regard to retention and graduation. At the Chancellor's Fall Conference last week, nearly 150 faculty, student, and staff convened for a day of discussion and planning on the topic of student success. Our keynote speaker was Dr. Sylvia Hurtado, a former UCSC staff member and now a distinguished researcher and professor at the University of Michigan's Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. She reported on research findings that illuminated many factors affecting student retention. The discussions that followed developed a number of creative suggestions and insightful observations on these topics, and the conference planning committee will compile them to share with the campus very soon. The dedication of the conference participants and the obvious genuine commitment to student success were very gratifying. I greatly appreciated the time and engagement of everyone who attended, and like my faculty and staff colleagues, was particularly impressed with the contributions made by the students who truncated their vacations to join us. One of the conclusions of the conference is the fact that attracting and retaining the best students, faculty, and staff is related to the public perception of UCSC. The more--and the more often--that we tell the positive story about our work and its results, the more clearly prospective campus members and the wider community will understand and value this wonderful university. I invite each of you to note the Web listing of recent UCSC achievements and highlights--and tell your family and friends about them. There is no more effective way to improve the way people think about us than to share our own enthusiasm. The Millennium Committee report urged efforts to increase administrative nimbleness and to encourage and reward innovation. The leadership of Campus Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor John Simpson has advanced these values significantly in the past year. In his separate correspondence, he outlines some of his plans to continue improvements in our organizational structure and in the budget allocation process that is consistent with our stature as a major research university. (Campus Provost/EVC Simpson's correspondence will be linked to this message when it is issued in the next day or so.) Finally, as I begin my fourth year as your chancellor, let me say again how glad I am to be here at UC Santa Cruz. I am very proud of the reputation for research excellence that UCSC has earned, and I am equally proud of our uncommon commitment to undergraduate teaching and of our unusual dedication to community service. All of us have benefited from the vision and dedication of those who laid the foundation on which UCSC was built. Now, as we begin a new year, let us establish a legacy for the future that will inspire the new California students and build the scholarly base for the next millennium.
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