In what University of California officials called evidence of
the university’s commitment toward transparency, compensation
for three newly appointed senior officials was released to the
public Friday shortly after their appointments during a special
closed meeting of the UC Board of Regents.

Calls for the resignation of UC President Robert Dynes by state
legislators earlier this month was not the first time that state
government officials have tried to influence the UC’s
decisions.

A faint murmur of student voices could sporadically be heard on
the third floor of Covel Commons on Thursday, where UC officials
met to vote on divestment from Sudan.

After a unanimous vote to divest university holdings from nine
companies determined to be aiding Sudan in the killings in Darfur,
the University of California will begin the process of divestment
which could take many months to complete.

The University of California became the first major public
university system to vote to divest from companies with financial
holdings in Sudan in a unanimous decision by the UC Board of
Regents on Thursday.

Discussion regarding compensation issues dominated
Wednesday’s UC Board of Regents meeting at UCLA, in which
committees of the board met in closed sessions and took action on
compensation matters including job slotting and executive
salaries.

The UC Board of Regents is expected to vote on divestment of
university investments from companies with business operations in
Sudan and to take further action toward clarifying University of
California compensation practices at its Wednesday and Thursday
meeting at UCLA.

Correction appended
University of California officials acknowledged violations of UC
policy and reaffirmed their commitment to accountability and
transparency in compensation practices at a Senate Education
Committee hearing Wednesday.

University of California officials will face state legislators
today in the second of two senate education committee hearings
prompted by concerns over the university’s compensation
practices.

University of California President Robert Dynes hopes to look
ahead with a series of compensation reforms after facing state
legislators in a Senate hearing last week, which marked the second
time in just over a decade that the UC has had to answer to the
state regarding its compensation practices.