Newly appointed regents set sights on Tidal Wave II

By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff

The University of California Board of Regents will see two new
faces and two new sets of goals when it convenes this Wednesday in
San Francisco.

Monica Lozano, president and chief executive officer of Los
Angeles’ largest Spanish newspaper, “La
Opinión,” and Norman Pattiz, founder and chair of the
nation’s largest radio network, Westwood One, were appointed
to 12-year terms by Gov. Gray Davis on Sept. 21.

Both admit they have much to learn about their positions and
hope to accelerate this process during Wednesday’s meeting at
UC San Francisco.

The meeting was originally slated for Sept. 12-13, but the
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on
Sept. 11 caused the regents to postpone their usual bi-monthly
meeting.

Lozano, a native of Los Angeles, attended the University of
Oregon and graduated with a degree in political science. She also
holds an honorary degree from Occidental College.

One of her primary goals, Lozano said, is to address higher
education access in light of Tidal Wave II, the influx of 60,000
additional students into the UC over the next decade.

“While dealing with capacity, we have to keep our eyes on
adequate opportunity for diverse populations,” Lozano
said.

She said the number of minority students in the UC will be an
especially important factor if the state’s racial makeup
continues its current trend, with the rise of Latinos as a dominant
force in the state’s population.

According to the 2000 state census, Latino citizens account for
32.4 percent of California’s population, up from 25.8 percent
a decade ago.

Lozano said her tenure on the state board of education made it
clear to her that “there’s a huge disparity in terms of
education students are receiving throughout the K-12″
system.

“We need to see that advanced placement courses are
adequately provided, so that all students can become eligible for
the UC,” she said.

Pattiz, also from the Los Angeles area, attended Santa Monica
College and has an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Southern
Illinois University.

He addressed concerns about the increasing population at the UC,
and said that as a new regent, he will take things slowly to get
acclimated to the board.

“I’m the new kid on the block, and it’ll take
a certain amount of time to get up to speed,” Pattiz
said.

Regarding Tidal Wave II, he said accommodating students is on
the forefront of his agenda.

“Over the next few years, there are going to be a lot of
college-aged people coming into the system,” Pattiz said.
“The issue is what are we going to do about that and how we
make sure there are enough desks.”

Pattiz said his position on the Associated Students of UCLA
Communications Board ““ which governs student media, including
the Daily Bruin ““ provided him insight that he said will
prove valuable as a regent.

“It gave me an interesting perspective of the UC from the
viewpoint of students and faculty,” he said.

Both regents hold extensive credentials dealing with education.
Lozano is a member of the University of Southern California’s
Board of Trustees, California Citizens Commission on Higher
Education, and was a member of the California Postsecondary
Education Commission.

In addition to the ASUCLA Communications Board, Pattiz holds
positions on the Broadcast Education Association and the
Dean’s Advisory Board of Cal State Fullerton. In November
2000, he was appointed to the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors
by former President Bill Clinton.