By Julia Sommer, Public Affairs
Posted May 5, 1999

At the Academic Senate's year-end meeting April 29, Chancellor Berdahl announced a new program of faculty stipends as a "preemptive" move to encourage outstanding faculty to stay at Berkeley and to discourage the use of outside offers to "leverage" salaries.

Called the Chancellor's Faculty Salary Complement Program, it will provide $5 million in non-state, discretionary funds over the next five years to recognize undercompensated distinguished faculty.

Up to $10,000 per year will be awarded for an initial period of three years with a possibility of extension. The program will begin with 40 awards in 2000-01, increasing to 130 awards by 2004-05.

The Chancellor stressed that the details are still being worked out, and that this new program is intended to complement, not replace, Berkeley's rank and step salary program.

He noted that Berkeley faculty salaries still lag behind private peer institutions, and that the Task Force on Faculty Compensation has found "wage discrepancies campuswide."

Jack Citrin, professor of political science, opened discussion on the "year-round operation in higher education" concept presented by the state legislative analyst's office in the 1999-2000 state budget.

Citrin panned the idea, pointing out potential problems for faculty (Who would teach a third, summer semester? Would it create a two-tier faculty?) and students (Who would enroll in a summer semester? Who could afford to go to school year-round? How would it affect financial aid packages?).

"There's no concern for the quality of undergraduate education in this proposal," Citrin said.

Chancellor Berdahl agreed that the proposal showed "profound ignorance" of how higher education works, and pointed out that UC is "not a factory."

However, he said that Berkeley cannot ignore the fact that over the next 10 years, UC-eligible students will increase by 60,000. This growth cannot be accommodated entirely by the new Merced campus and higher enrollments at some other UC campuses, he said.

The Chancellor suggested that increased summer session enrollment -- presently about 12,000 -- and beefed-up study abroad programs are two ways Berkeley could accommodate more students.

Berdahl called it the "wrong response," and politically unwise, to say that Berkeley has to stay the same in the face of a tidal wave of new students over the next decade.

Executive Vice Chancellor Carol Christ announced that a new task force will look at the year-round education issue.

Senate chair Brentano announced the Jenny Franchot Berkeley Prize, to be awarded at four East Bay high schools.

May 5 - 11, 1999 (Volume 27, Number 33)
Copyright 1999, The Regents of the University of California.
Produced and maintained by the Office of Public Affairs at UC Berkeley.
Comments? E-mail berkeleyan@pa.urel.berkeley.edu.