18 March 2003
CHANCELLORÕS OFFICE, MRAK
HALL
Dear Chancellor
Vanderhoef,
The Regents of the University
of California have granted the Academic Senate explicit rights to determine or
to be consulted with respect to issues central to your decision to move to
Division I NCAA athletics. Your choice to avoid formal consultation and to
select a path contrary to the collective advice of the faculty ballot are
sources of deep concern. On the
other hand, we have noted the statement that your acceptance of the invitation
from the Big West Conference is just one of several decisions points and
reviews that will extend over the next four years. Your endorsements of the Òinviolate principlesÓ often
articulated by your administration and the recommendations of Senate and
Academic Federation committees are welcome, and your commitment to codifying
those as permanently as possible in campus procedures is particularly
important.
The principle of shared
governance requires increased engagement of the Senate in the decision and
implementations related to the transition to Division I athletics. This engagement must include at least
the following actions to:
1. Formally consult the Senate at each review and
decision point including the NCAA decision on June 1, 2003.
2. Develop a mechanism to ensure that students are given
advice from the Academic Senate, independent of Student Affairs, athletic
advisors, the development office and other administrative bodies on future
student fee funded initiatives.
3. Advise the Committee on Academic Planning and Budget
Review on any future changes to the currently proposed funding model for
intercollegiate athletics at the University of California Davis prior to any
actions to implement those changes (such as the development of student funding
initiative funding).
4. Establish a mechanism to link the current allocation
scheme for grants-in-aid for each sport (Òbase grant-in-aid budgetÓ) with a
measure of team academic performance to allow continuation of grants-in-aid for
that sport. Two measures of
academic performance that we will discuss with you to determine continuation of
the base grant-in-aid for an individual team are the maintenance of a minimum
team grade point average (GPA), and a minimum team graduation rate. Teams that fall short of either
academic performance indicator would have their grants-in-aid budget reduced
according to a prescribed formula and that money would be reallocated to the
teams with the highest academic performance indicators.
5. Amend the UCD Athletic Mission Statement to clearly
commit to the graduation of student athletes.
6. Amend the Mission Statement to include a commitment to
the Title IX philosophy independent of the legislative mandate.
7. Assign to the Undergraduate Council the responsibility
for an annual Academic Senate review of admissions decisions and the academic
progress of student athletes. One
member of the Undergraduate Council will also be an appointee, by the Academic Senate,
to the Athletics Administrative Advisory Committee.
8. Amend representation on the Athletics Administrative
Advisory Committee to include 4 or more members as Senate appointees. The Committee on Committees will make
those appointments.
9. Maintain the academic commitment of the coaches with a
minimum appointment of 50% as Lecturer (a full-time appointment would be 50%
Lecturer and 50% Coach).
10.
Maintain the principle
that the Chief Compliance Officer and Physical Education Director have security
of employment.
11.
Maintain the principle
that the intercollegiate athletics program must be fully funded by sources that
do not rely on athletic performance.
12.
Agree on a Memorandum of
Understanding to be signed by UCD administration, the Athletic Director and the
Chairs of the Academic Senate and Academic Federation. The MOU will contain the items detailed
above.
The
Committee on Academic Planning and Budget Review, the Undergraduate Council and
the Athletics Administrative Advisory Committee can each subsume portions of
these responsibilities, and we look forward to working with you to achieve
these objectives.
Sincerely,
Bruce R. Madewell, Chair
Academic Senate, Davis
Division