OK. It appears – after the embarrassing LA Times
article yesterday on the Japanese Garden proposed sale by UCLA – that the ship
has run aground.* We have angry heirs of
a donor, a major Regent of his time. We
may discourage future donors because of this episode. We have a statement that it was not the
intent to destroy the garden, but – in contrast to that statement - the removal
of objects from it in an amateur way. And
it is unclear that folks at the Fowler Museum want those objects. There are angry neighborhood groups and
concerned preservation groups. There
could be litigation which would discourage any sale. We also had a resource in the Japanese Garden
which – unlike, say, the Fowler Museum – was difficult for the public to
access. Any solution will need to
address that issue as well as the sale/removal.
UCLA has long had a management problem with independent
underlings operating with a “call-me-if-you-have-a-problem” relationship to the
top. Since no underling wants to make
that call, the result is that problems don’t surface until the situation becomes
worse than it has to be. Would you want
to call your boss and say you just created a problem?
Some folks will remember the body parts scandal of yore
which resulted from that management style.** And - more recently - there was
(is) the hotel/conference center – still yet to be resolved. Reforming the management structure is a
larger challenge that UCLA needs to address.
But in the interim, on this particular issue involving the Japanese
Garden, we need to hear from the chancellor. He may not be able to right the ship at this
point. But at least he can help with the
rescue.
- - - - - - - - - - -
*See yesterday’s post
on this blog concerning the garden (which has links to the still-earlier posts
and the LA Times article).
**One LA Times
headline on that situation read, “Businessman found guilty in UCLA's willed
body-parts program scandal: The body broker collected $1.5 million by selling
cadaver parts to private medical research companies. A juror also faults the
university for 'allowing something like this.'”
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