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Plan seeks faculty prestige

By Aviva Altmann and Adam Foxman

June 3, 2004 9:00 p.m.

Chancellor Albert Carnesale announced a plan Thursday to launch
a $250 million fund-raising campaign over a five-year period to
attract and retain prestigious professors and graduate students at
UCLA.

The plan, termed the “Ensuring Academic Excellence”
initiative, was formulated to give UCLA a competitive position
among wealthy private universities, as well as compensate for
recent state budget cuts.

The initiative is aimed at closing the growing gap in resources
available in elite private schools compared to public schools,
Carnesale said.

“In recent years, private universities have been trying
harder than ever before to recruit away from the UC,” and
offer financial packages to prospective students, Carnesale said,
adding that the campaign was an “even more concentrated
effort” to stay competitive.

Of the $250 million, $100 million is allotted to hire new
endowed chairs, $100 million to finance fellowships and
scholarships for UCLA colleges, and the remaining $50 million is
designated for fellowships and scholarships for UCLA professional
schools, according to a press release issued by the university
Thursday.

Currently, the university has 211 endowed chairs, and money for
another 20 has been pledged. Funds from the $250 million campaign
would bring the total to about 330.

This plan was formulated in reaction to a recent flight of
esteemed professors, and a lack of ability to attract new
distinguished faculty and graduate students.

“The heart and soul of UCLA’s reputation depends on
the reputation of its faculty,” said Professor Glen
MacDonald, head of the geography department.

MacDonald reported the loss of one geography professor for the
2004-2005 year, who was offered a lucrative financial package from
Ohio State University, a public institution.

“There was no way we could match the offer,”
MacDonald said. “It’s pretty troubling if we
can’t even compete with public universities.”

The caliber of professors teaching at a university is just as
important to the university as the quality of graduate students
attending the school.

According to the press release, “Graduate students are the
lifeblood of a research university. They help attract faculty, they
collaborate as research partners and in the teaching of
undergraduates,” said Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, vice
chancellor of graduate studies and dean of the graduate
division.

Others echoed concern for the need of graduate students.

“It has been a huge problem to attract graduates to UCLA.
We don’t have the money to compete, even with top public
schools. It has been a crisis,” MacDonald said.

Twenty-seven million dollars have already been donated to the
fund, which has been in the process of formulation and execution
for the past two years, Carnesale said.

The initiative takes off from the momentum created by Campaign
UCLA, a 12 year-long plan started in 1997, which has raised more
than $2.5 billion and will terminate at the end of 2005.

Wealthy donors historically have preferred putting their money
into new facilities and programs rather than such areas as
financial support for graduate students, Carnesale said, adding
that as a result, UCLA is launching the “Ensuring Academic
Excellence” initiative to encourage donations toward faculty
support.

“It is harder to raise money for support for people, but I
would point out out we have raised $287 million,” Carnesale
said. “I am confident our alumni and friends will step
up.”

But even if successful, George Blumenthal, the vice chair of the
UC faculty senate, said UCLA’s effort would not be able to
bring faculty salaries up to the level of comparison institutions
since the UC system has a stepped pay scale for professors.

Faculty salaries at the UC lag an average of 14.5 percent behind
salaries at the eight institutions the UC compares itself to,
according to a 2004 report from the American Association of
University Professors.

“We need an infusion of state funds to raise the pay scale
system wide,” Blumenthal said, adding that the fund-raising
program will likely be most important for recruiting and retaining
graduate students.

David Longanecker, executive director for the Western Interstate
Commission for Higher Education, said, while lagging salaries are a
serious concern ““ he noted that the University of Washington
lost a lot of their best faculty when they went five years without
pay increases in the 1970s ““ the UC is not particularly at
risk.

Longanecker said the UC’s prestige, the benefits of living
in California, and the fact that its salaries are reasonable
despite the lag often keep people at the UC once they have found
their niche.

“(The fund-raising initiative) is probably worth doing to
avoid a crisis, but I don’t think you are facing a crisis
today,” Longanecker said.

Some other UC campuses are raising funds to support faculty and
graduate students, but there is no unified effort system wide.

With reports from Menaka Fernando, Bruin senior
staff.

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