June 6, 2003
TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Dear Colleagues:
In communicating with the campus earlier this month about the need to plan for a substantial reduction in state support, I noted how we should strive to be strategic in both our plans and our actions. We all have worked very hard to help UCSB become a leading research university, and at this critical time I would not want us to lose sight of all that we have accomplished, or lose our focus on the future and what we hope to achieve.
Planning will be essential to our success in meeting the current financial challenges. And planning is something that our campus community is very good at. Thanks to the superb leadership and skill of many talented people at UCSB, our well-planned efforts in many areas in recent years have been very productive. A few examples:
• The academic quality and diversity of our student body are at all-time highs.
• A framework for long-range academic planning has been drafted and is near completion.
• A total of 16 major construction projects with secured funding of $750 million are in process.
• A new campus vision plan that integrates those construction projects has been developed.
• A comprehensive campaign to raise substantial private support for UCSB has brought in $156 million over the past three years and is still in its “quiet phase.”
• Full state funding for summer session enrollment was secured, and our careful planning resulted in a program that has exceeded all of the goals that were set for it.
Ahead of us now are two other major planning challenges that must be accomplished within these new fiscal constraints. In the immediate future we will need to complete a long-range academic plan, building upon the framework laid out in the draft report of the Academic Planning Coordinating Committee. On the near horizon is planning for the revision or replacement of our 1991 Long Range Development Plan.
To accomplish these important tasks, and to continue on our present upward trajectory in this time of limited resources, we need to make some shifts in the organization of our administrative resources. Our structure must facilitate the ambitious capital construction program that will provide us with sorely needed modern space for instruction, research, faculty offices, library needs, student services, recreation and housing. At the same time, we must manage and allocate scarce resources in ways that best support our educational and research programs.
The update of our Long Range Development Plan will require the participation of our campus community, local governments and the community at large, as well as the UC Office of the President. As a first step, and with the assistance of a special assistant to the chancellor for the Long Range Development Plan, the offices of the Chancellor, Executive Vice Chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services, Budget and Planning, Governmental Relations and Academic Senate will begin campus consultations to develop an effective and thorough planning process. This process will include close coordination with our local governments and community, primarily overseen by Vice Chancellor George Pernsteiner, and with UCOP and Sacramento, overseen by me.
Recognizing the need to strengthen our organization to manage effectively this planning process, and yet be sensitive to the current budgetary constraints, I have consulted with colleagues in the Administration, the Academic Senate, and Professor Tom Gerig on changes to our structure. Professor Gerig had chaired a hard-working committee charged with recommending candidates for a new position of Vice Chancellor for Budget and Planning. However, instead of establishing a new vice chancellor position, my consultations led me to conclude that our campus would, at this time, be much better served by a reorganization of the Office of Budget and Planning and the realignment of some of its responsibilities.
I am therefore appointing Todd G. Lee as Assistant Chancellor for Budget and Planning. In this role, Todd will be responsible for overseeing capital planning and project budgeting, development and management of the operating budget, and institutional research. In addition to his position as Budget Director, Todd has served as Acting Associate Chancellor for the past two years and, earlier, as Acting Assistant Provost of Letters and Science for nearly five years. He brings a wealth of experience, dedication, skill, and university knowledge to his new appointment. He will continue to work closely with Martie Levy, Director of Capital Development, and Steven Velasco, Director of Institutional Research.
Tye Simpson, Director of Physical and Environmental Planning, and his staff will be transferred from the Office of Budget and Planning to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services. This staff will report directly to Marc Fisher, Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Design and Facilities, and will work closely with Vice Chancellor Pernsteiner on the update of the campus Long Range Development Plan as well as other physical and environmental planning efforts.
With this new alignment, our Office of Budget and Planning and the Division of Administrative Services will be much better equipped to serve the needs of our campus, especially in this period of fiscal restraint, and to support our academic vision and our plans for long-term growth.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor