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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Service With a Smile? UC is Encouraged; CSU is Mandated

It may seem self-evident, but it's nevertheless a matter of state law that teaching is an "essential responsibility," along with research, for members of the University of California's faculty and "a primary responsibility" for those in the California State University system...  But if Gov. Jerry Brown signs a bill that whipped through both houses of the Legislature in the final, hectic hours of the 2012 session, that will change – radically, perhaps.

A third element would be required in the hiring and promotion of faculty members. It's called "service." The specifics of Assembly Bill 2132 appear to give great weight to political, or at least semi-political, activities favored by those on the political left.  They include, in the words of a legislative bill analysis, "developing programs for underserved populations" and "outreach programs developed to promote cultural diversity in the student body."
The California State University system would be required to make "service" an element with teaching and the bill "encourages" the constitutionally independent University of California to include "service" in its evaluations...

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