The University of California Commission on the Future will hear the first round of recommendations from five working groups on Tuesday, March 23, during a public meeting from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UC San Francisco-Mission Bay Community Center.

The commission, co-chaired by UC Board of Regents Chairman Russell S. Gould and President Mark G. Yudof, was created by Gould last July to help develop long-term strategies to ensure access, affordability and excellence in instruction, research, public service and health care amid ongoing financial challenges resulting from the state fiscal crisis.

This first round of recommendations comes from five working groups focusing on size and shape of UC, education and curriculum, access and affordability, funding strategies and research strategies. (The recommendations will be posted at the UC Commission on the Future Web site.) Many of the issues require further research and discussion over the coming months. The commission will consider feedback from the Academic Senate, staff, students and the public over the next two months before presenting a prioritized first round of recommendations to the regents for their consideration in July.

The working groups will continue to develop, analyze and refine additional recommendations that will be presented to the commission in June and reviewed by members of the UC community and the public before the commission concludes its deliberations and presents a final round of recommendations to the regents in the fall.

In addition, the commission has the option of considering other ideas and recommendations beyond those forwarded by the working groups.

WHEN: 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesday, March 23

WHERE: UCSF-Mission Bay, Fisher Banquet Room, William J. Rutter Community Center, 1675 Owens St., San Francisco. Directions: www.ucsf.edu/maps/directions-to-ucsf-mission-bay/. Parking is available, for a fee, in the Community Center parking garage. UCSF shuttles (red line) run regularly from the 16th Street-Mission BART Station to the community center.
Live audio broadcasts of open sessions will be available online.

RSVP: Media representatives planning to attend are encouraged to RSVP to Alfred White, UCOP Communications. E-mail: alfred.white@ucop.edu. Phone: (510) 987-9200.