New accountability program to strengthen UC

This month I will present the UC Regents with the draft of a framework for measuring the university’s performance in a range of areas. The draft report will set forth accountability metrics for the 10 campuses in access and affordability, student success, research impact and funding, faculty and staff diversity, and other key areas of our public university mission.

I am an avid fan of accountability; my general philosophy is captured in the phrase, “In God we trust, all others bring data.” Over the past decade, we have seen a very strong accountability revolution in America that has swept through all sectors. As a public institution, the University of California has a special obligation to be transparent and trustworthy. And as the world’s leading research university, UC ought to be a leader and not a follower.

As the new framework establishes UC’s leadership in higher education accountability, it also will strengthen our institutional operations and constituent relations. Data-driven measurements in key program areas will enhance our strategic planning, fortify our budgeting, and ensure management accountability. And regular reports based on those metrics will be the cornerstone of our efforts to build public support by demonstrating the real value and impact of UC’s education, research and service programs.

In addition to the draft systemwide accountability report, UC campuses are now in the process of posting to the Web their own accountability reports modeled after the national Voluntary System of Accountability. These profiles will give parents, prospective students, and other members of the public another simple way to obtain basic information about the characteristics and contributions of each campus.

These two accountability efforts, at the systemwide and campus levels, will get better year by year.  They will help us plan more effectively, tell our story more effectively, and make improvements in our operations more effectively.  They will be linked to more rigorous evaluation of employee performance at the university. And they will represent the straightforward presentation of information to the public that I believe is critical to our public mission.

I invite you to visit www.universityofcalifornia.edu/accountability to comment on the draft report and for continuing updates on this issue.