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Regents of the University of California
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The Regents of the University of California make up the governing board of the University of California. The Board has 26 full (i.e., voting) members:
The Board also has two faculty non-voting members. By custom, the incoming Student Regent serves as a non-voting Regent-designate from the date of appointment (usually in September) until beginning his or her formal term the following July 1.
The vast majority of the Regents appointed by the Governor historically have consisted of lawyers, politicians and businessmen.
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The Regents of the University of California make up the governing board of the University of California. The Board has 26 full (i.e., voting) members:
- The majority (18 Regents) are appointed by the Governor of California for 12-year terms.
- One Student Regent is appointed by the Board for a one-year term.
- The remaining 7 Regents are ex officio members. They are the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, Superintendent of Public Instruction, president and vice president of the Alumni Associations of UC, and the UC president.
The Board also has two faculty non-voting members. By custom, the incoming Student Regent serves as a non-voting Regent-designate from the date of appointment (usually in September) until beginning his or her formal term the following July 1.
The vast majority of the Regents appointed by the Governor historically have consisted of lawyers, politicians and businessmen. Over the past two decades, it has been common that UC Regents appointees have donated relatively large sums of money either directly to the Governor's election campaigns or indirectly to party election groups.
As with other public university systems nationwide, the board of regents is treated as the real party in interest for all purposes under California law. All actions of the university are done in their name, all degrees are conferred in their name, all UC property is held in their name (and is marked by signs indicating "Property of the Regents of the University of California"), all bank accounts are held in their name (and all checks must be written to "UC Regents"), and all lawsuits involving the University always refer specifically to the regents. This is peculiar because most corporations (especially private ones) are treated by the law as a legal entity separate from their boards and employees, and lawsuits against them are addressed to the corporation or university itself, not its board of directors or trustees.
Efforts at Accountability
Early History
Ever since the UC was established in 1868, people have struggled and slowly democratized the University system. The original forms of governing the university were shaped by UC President and Skull & Bonesman, Daniel C. Gilman, who touted the models of Michigan and Yale (where trustees appoint their personal friends as successors). And indeed Republican businessmen were appointed as the first UC Regents. In 1874, a coalition upset with corrupt state politics and a university astray decided to challenge the university’s power structures. They lamented that Regents consisted of “merchants, lawyers, physicians and devines sic” and lacked any “practical and experienced educator” or any working class representative. The coalition proposed legislation to choose Regents through elections in each of California’s districts. This legislation and a similar 1876 bill were defeated by the corrupt, elite-dominated state legislature. When CA’s Constitution was revised a few years later in 1879, negotiators snuck an even stronger anti-democratic provision in at the last minute with little debate, establishing the current structure whereby the Governor selects most Regents.
Changes in the 1960s and 1970s
The Regents continued to be challenged throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Concerned citizens successfully pushed legislation to make the Regents’ meetings public (1970), the Senate ratify the Governor’s nominees (1972), and Regents’ terms be reduced from 16 to 12 years (1974). Also in 1974, an advisory board was set up to review the governor’s appointees and Regents were required to be "broadly reflective of the economic, cultural, and social diversity of the state." The 1974 reforms also created a Student Regent, who is selected by the Regents from 3 candidates nominated by the University of California Students' Association (UCSA).
In the early 1990s, after years of budget cuts, graduate students began organizing for working rights. This overall discontent contributed to the 1993 founding of a SF-based group called the Committee for a Responsible University, a group that ultimately formulated a 'Plan to Democratize the Regents.'
Efforts since 2000
Over the past few years, people have reemphasized the need to democratize the regents, partly out of concern about numerous recent issues like pay scandals, rising fees, affirmative action, and renewed emphasis on nuclear weapons. Protests have been held at numerous Regents meeting, and a Phoenix Project for UC Democracy has been established to help coordinate a state-wide campaign to democratize the Regents.
Regents
Current members
- Appointed by Gov. Wilson:
- Joanne Corday Kozberg (appointed 1998; term expires March 1, 2010)
- Appointed by Gov. Davis:
- Judith L. Hopkinson (appointed 1999; term expires March 1, 2009)
- John J. Moores (appointed 1999; term expires March 1, 2009)
- Sherry L. Lansing (appointed 1999; term expires March 1, 2010)
- Odessa P. Johnson (appointed 1999; reappointed 2000; term expires March 1, 2012)
- George M. Marcus (appointed 2000; term expires March 1, 2012)
- Monica Lozano (appointed 2001; term expires March 1, 2013)
- Richard C. Blum (appointed 2002; term expires March 1, 2014)
- Norman J. Pattiz (appointed 2001; reappointed 2003; term expires March 1, 2015)
- Appointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger:
- Frederick Ruiz (appointed 2004; term expires March 1, 2016)
- Paul Wachter (appointed 2004; term expires March 1, 2016)
- Russell S. Gould (appointed 2005; term expires March 1, 2017)
- Leslie Tang Schilling (appointed 2005; term expires March 1, 2013)
- Eddie Island (appointed 2005; term expires March 1, 2017)
- William De La Pena (appointed 2006; term expires March 1, 2018)
- Bruce D. Varner (appointed 2006; term expires March 1, 2018)
- John Hotchkis (appointed 2008; term expires March 1, 2009)
- Bonnie Reiss (appointed 2008; term expires March 1, 2020)
- Student Regent
- D'Artagnan Scorza (term expires June 30, 2009)
Notable past Regents
See also
Legal cases
External links
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