Charge and Membership
Academic Senate Task Force on UC Merced
The Academic Senate's Task Force on UC Merced
is a Special Committee of both the Academic Council and the
Universitywide Assembly. The responsibilities
delegated to the Task Force from the Council and the Assembly are
set forth below, along with the membership of the
Task Force, as specified by the Council.
Charge and Membership
As Approved by the Academic Council
Charge items a-e and membership approved
September 9, 1998; charge item f approved June 9, 1999.
Charge
The Task Force will serve as the Academic Council’s
primary advisory body on development of the UC Merced campus.
It will commence as soon as the charge and membership are
confirmed by the Academic Senate and continue until the
Merced division of the Academic Senate is established. The
Task Force will carry out the work necessary to enable
the Academic Council to provide timely, coordinated advice to
the Office of the President and to the future Chancellor
of UC Merced.
The charge to the Task Force is as follows:
- Coordinate policy issues which should be brought
to relevant Senate committees for formal consideration by
the Academic Council;
- Ensure that the faculty are significantly engaged
in those UC Merced developments in which UC faculty are ordinarily
involved (e.g., developing courses and curricula) and
that the Academic Senate carries out the kinds of review,
approval, and consultation activities it does for
established divisions and systemwide;
- Formulate the process for development of an
Academic Senate division for the Merced campus;
- Provide academic direction for the UC Merced
implementation plan being developed by the Office of the President,
including involvement with both the UC Vice Provost
for Research and UC Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives;
and
- Serve as a liaison to other UC Merced planning
committees on such matters as student services and physical
development of the campus.
- Until such time as the UC Merced Academic Senate
is established, the Universitywide Academic Senate Task Force
on UC Merced shall provide Senate consultation to the
UC Merced administration when there is the opportunity to
accept an endowment in order to establish a proposed
chair at UC Merced. In considering what to recommend as to
whether or under what circumstances to accept the
endowment and establish the chair, the Task Force shall consult
the Chair of the UC Merced Committee on Academic Personnel.
Membership
The Task Force will consist of 16 members who provide for key linkages to
the Academic Council, universitywide Academic Senate committees, and the 9
divisions and who represent a variety of academic disciplines. Appointments,
with one exception, should be for 2-3 years and renewable. After consultation
with the Academic Council, the Council Chair and Vice Chair shall select specific
appointees whenever appointments are needed. Terms of service shall be arranged
so that turnover is staggered. Specifically, the Task Force membership shall
be as follows:
- Chair of the Task Force. He or she shall be a UC faculty member
with a record of distinguished Academic Senate service and experience in
academic program development. A three-year, renewable term of appointment
is appropriate.
- Vice Chair of the Academic Council. He or she shall serve for one
year, concurrent with his or her term of service as Academic Council Vice
Chair.
- Leaders of Five Universitywide Academic Senate Committees. The
committees represented are those whose responsibilities are most relevant
to the development of the new campus; specifically, the Coordinating Committee
on Graduate Affairs and the Universitywide Committees on Academic Personnel,
Educational Policy, Planning and Budget, and Research Policy. At the time
at which they are first appointed to the Task Force, the committee leaders
shall be either the current Chair or Vice Chair, at each committee’s discretion.
Appointments are for two years. However, if a Vice Chair is appointed to
the Task Force, his or her committee may chose at the end of two years to
renew the appointment for one additional year. When the Task Force begins,
the Council Chair and Vice Chair will determine whether the appointment
of each committee leader will be for one or two years, the goal being to
change 2-3 committee leaders each year during the life of the Task Force.
- Representatives of the Nine Academic Senate Divisions. Each division
shall have one representative on the Task Force. Appointments shall be for
3 years and renewable. The Divisional Chair shall be consulted about whether
a current representative should be reappointed. Whenever a divisional representative
is needed, the Divisional Chair shall identify at least two faculty who
could serve. The divisional representatives should provide expertise in
academic areas relevant to the potential programs of the UC Merced campus,
provide past experience in the development of a new campus or major teaching
or research program, assist in providing a balance of disciplinary perspectives
to the Task Force, and be well situated to engage their division in matters
relevant to the development of UC Merced.
Charge from the Universitywide Assembly
Approved at the Universitywide Assembly meeting of October 20,
1999.
The Assembly designates the Academic Senate's Task Force on UC Merced a Special
Committee of the Assembly charged with approving courses and curricula for
the University of California Merced. The Task Force's authority over courses
and curricula for UCM begins with the Assembly's approval of this measure
and ends on the date a Senate Division is established at UCM. The Task Force
shall report to the Assembly yearly on the development of courses and curricula
at UCM.
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Please send questions, comments and suggestions to Maria.Bertero-Barceló@ucop.edu
This page last updated: February 7, 2003