UCLA Faculty Association: More detail on the upcoming Regents meeting

In a prior posting, we noted that the Regents' agenda for next week's meetings had been placed on the regental website.* However, more detailed attachments were not included at that time. Two items of particular interest in more detail have now appeared. One deals with required statements of faculty regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The other deals with the degree to which UC trust funds can be invested in capital projects such as student housing that might benefit a particular campus.

The first item can at best be described as uncritical. It is a typical government report that describes aims (inputs) but not results (outputs). You will not find any suggestion that DEI statements have engendered controversy. And you will not find any evidence in the report on what the effect of such statements has been. Have they affected recruitment outcomes or retention of faculty? What have those effects, if any, been? Below we reproduce the executive summary which provides the flavor of the report and we provide a link to the full report.

STATEMENTS DESCRIBING FACULTY CONTRIBUTIONS TO INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Over the past quarter century, there has been a purposeful commitment by the University of California to encourage and recognize faculty contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Grounded in academic policy (APM - 210-1-d), the DEI or Inclusive Excellence statement aligns with the University’s role as a public research university dedicated to educating residents and serving communities throughout the state while reaching across the nation and world. Indeed, the University’s reputation as a national leader in inclusive student access and success is critically dependent on the engagement of incumbent and future faculty in various facets of outreach and recruitment as well as degree completion and graduation. The University’s policies and practices on DEI statements do not allow for consideration of the faculty member’s race or gender. Instead, it is the faculty member’s contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion that are evaluated. In sum, DEI statements underscore the University’s institutional commitment to serving the needs of a diverse student body and state.

As an extension of University policy, the adoption and use of DEI or Inclusive Excellence statements are the result of deliberate and extensive consultation with the Academic Senate as faculty have primary responsibility for evaluating applicant DEI statements. Since 2005, the Academic Senate and UC Administration have engaged in an iterative process of refinement and improvement of APM policy and guidance surrounding policy implementation related to these efforts. This iterative process has fortified the policy while mobilizing the insights and experiences from local campuses for continuous improvement...

Full report at https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/nov22/a3.pdf.

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The Investments Report

As to the issue of whether UC trust funds such as the pension or endowment could be invested in real estate projects that might benefit a campus, the report is more informative than the DEI item. But it gives an answer that campuses might find disappointing. Yes, UC trust funds could be legally invested in, say, a building that rented to students near a campus. However, the building could not be reserved for students and the rents charged would have to be market prices. Similarly, UC trust funds could invest in a building that would house research entities, but it would have to be open to all such entities - not just UC-related programs - and would have to charge market rents. In short, investments have to be commercial ventures that are not de facto subsidies to university activities. At least, that is the interpretation of yours truly.

You can find the investments report at https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/nov22/i1.pdf.

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*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-regents-next-week-big-ten-other.html.

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