College Cabinet

To: College of Letters and Science Faculty

As the academic year gets underway, I want to share with you some information regarding the organization of the College. Many of you have asked about College governance. After Executive Dean Patricia O'Brien stepped down on January 1, the chair of the Academic Senate and I commissioned a task force to evaluate different models for governing the College in the future. The task force did a thorough job and made a well-reasoned recommendation for establishing a College dean, to sustain unity across and coordination among the College divisions. Others, including the College deans, the College FEC and the Senate Executive Board, argued that the governance structure now in place ^ in which the divisional deans come together as a cabinet for planning, budgeting and decision-making ^ already provides these benefits without the expense of another executive position.

After due consideration, Chancellor Block and I decided to focus first on the pressing need to recruit permanent divisional deans and to leave the question of organization open for the moment. We have agreed, however, that, in the future, the College deans will report directly to the executive vice chancellor/provost and that there will not be any formal reporting to an intermediary dean, as in the past. When new deans are appointed, the chancellor and EVC/provost will work with the deans to determine the governance model that best serves the College. Throughout these considerations, our goal has been to focus on how best to maintain and enhance the academic quality of the divisions, departments and programs within the College.

We are now conducting national searches for three College deans: life sciences, physical sciences and social sciences. The outcome of these searches will affect the divisions and the College for many years to come. Please nominate outstanding candidates and take advantage of opportunities to meet finalists when they come to campus. Inform them of the great work underway in each division of the College. We very much want each of these searches to succeed so that permanent deans will be in place by July 1, 2009.

I welcome your questions or feedback about College governance and encourage you to e-mail me at evc@conet.ucla.edu.

Wishing you all the best in 2008-09.

Warm regards,

Scott L. Waugh
Acting Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost