UC Berkeley Web Feature

UC compensation – The campus context

This "Campus Context" website has been created in response to the ongoing interest in UC compensation policies and practices. Our goal is to provide the public and the UC Berkeley community with a central repository for documents, contextual information and official communications that are related to the issue, but are not always included in the press coverage of these complicated issues.

5.18.2006
Regents grapple with compensation furor, reaffirm support for Dynes: After a third critical audit, fresh revelations of dubious severance deals, legislators asking the president to resign, a Greek chorus of angry employees, and still more recriminations and mea culpas, the UC Board of Regents approved a slew of incremental measures to address widespread problems with UC's executive compensation practices, and then reaffirmed support for President Robert Dynes as the right person to reform the system. More >
Also:
• Regents statement reaffirms support for Dynes
• Opinion: Address UC's problems, but keep them in perspective, business leaders urge
• Ad campaign: Will we shrink from the competition that makes California great? (PDF)

4.27.2006
Chancellor reiterates to staff his commitment to openness, competitiveness: In an open meeting for staff sponsored by the Berkeley Staff Assembly, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau addressed the controversy surrounding compensation practices in the UC system. While expressing his complete commitment to transparency and disclosure, the chancellor stressed that Berkeley must remain competitive in the higher education marketplace if the university is to maintain its preeminence in the years to come. Watch a webcast of the chancellor's compensation comments. Or read about the chancellor's BSA appearance.

4.25.2006
UCOP failed to seek approval for many executive-pay components, audit confirms: An independent audit of the University of California's executive-pay policies and practices has yielded comprehensive new details showing that many of the benefits and salary "extras" paid to top administrators over the past 10 years were not disclosed to the Board of Regents or the public as required. The just-the-facts report, by the PricewaterhouseCoopers accounting firm, makes no judgments as to the merits of the packages, and points no fingers of blame. More >
Also: Read the full audit report and statements from regents chair Parsky and UC President Dynes

4.13.2006
Task force faults UC leadership on compensation policies and practices: The Task Force on UC Compensation, Accountability and Transparency on Thursday presented a detailed critique of compensation practices and policies in the UC system, concluding that there must be "a sea change" in policies, practices and university culture. The nine-member task force, appointed in December 2005 by Regents chair Gerald Parsky, said that "the current situation is wholly unacceptable," and called for immediate action "at all levels to remedy the problems." More >

2.23.2006
Back at the Capitol, top UC officials insist they mean business: Two weeks after UC President Robert Dynes promised to revamp the system's culture to embrace "public responsibility and public accountability," Dynes returned to Sacramento Wednesday with Gerald Parsky, chair of the UC board of regents, who agreed that the "organizational structure and business practices of the Office of the President need to be enhanced." But state lawmakers, in their second hearing on the University of California's executive-pay practices, wondered aloud whether UCOP and the regents have the right stuff to "turn this ship around." More >

2.9.2006
Accepting culpa-bility in compensation furor: At the first of two Sacramento hearings on executive compensation in the University of California system, UC President Robert Dynes pledged Feb. 8 to exert more control. Legislators still wonder: will heads roll in Oakland? More >

1.28.2006
Comparisons of deferred compensation for university leaders: Although a recent news report implied otherwise, chancellors and presidents of many public and private universities report deferred compensation as part of their total compensation. Readily available data from the Chronicle of Higher Education offers a quick comparison study. More >

1.24.2006
Compensation controversy touches Berkeley: In the wake of a news report about former Chancellor Robert Berdahl's just-concluded sabbatical and his upcoming post leading the Association of American Universities, Associate Vice Chancellor George Strait explains why Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's decision about compensation for Berdahl was completely consistent with the best interests of the university. More >
• Robert Berdahl's letter to the San Francisco Chronicle
• Documents regarding Berdahl's appointment as AAU president