1997-1998
Communiqués from the
 Vice Chancellor of Academic Personnel

 

1997-98 Outside Professional Activities Report

Issued October 12, 1998

 

Housing Allowance Program

Issued June 4, 1998

 

1998-99 Dossier Deadlines (Letter and Chart)

Issued April 30, 1998

 

1998-99 Summer Policy

Issued April 20, 1998

 

 Faculty Service on Ad Hoc Review Committees

Issued March 2, 1998

 

 Fourth Year Appraisals of Assistant Professors

Issued February 27, 1998

 

 Access to Records for Unsuccessful Applicants

Issued January 26, 1998

 

 Child Care Services

Issued July 16, 1997
 

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1997-1998 Communiqués

October 12, 1998

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS and DIRECTORS

Re: 1997-98 Outside Professional Activities Report

I am writing to remind you that reports by faculty members of their outside professional activities for the year 1997-98 should be submitted to Department Chairs no later than Monday, November 2, 1998. Reports should also be obtained from administrative officers who hold one of the listed faculty titles in a department.

Detailed information concerning these annual reports, including a listing of those faculty members who should submit reports, is set forth in The CALL, Appendix 19. Forms for reporting can be easily accessed on the Academic Personnel Office web site at http://www.apo.ucla.edu/.

Department Chairs are asked to take appropriate steps to ensure that these reports are filed. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Norman Abrams
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

To: Dean Afifi, School of Public Health
Dean Cates, School of Theater, Film and Television
Provost Copenhaver, College of Letters and Science
Dean Cowan, School of Nursing
Senior Associate Dean Friedman, School of Medicine
Dean Eiserling, Division of Life Sciences
Dean Hume, School of Dentistry
Provost Levey, School of Medicine
Interim Dean Mamer, Anderson Graduate School of Management
Dean Mitchell, School of Education and Information Studies
Dean Nelson, School of Public Policy and Social Research
Dean Neuman, School of Arts and Architecture
Dean Peccei, Division of Physical Sciences
Dean Prager, School of Law
Dean Waugh, Division of Social Sciences
Dean Wazzan, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Dean Yu, Division of Humanities

Re: Salary Differential Housing Allowance Program

The Salary Differential Housing Allowance Program was established by the President on May 18, 1982 to provide a flexible method for campuses to assist newly recruited, full-time faculty in meeting individual housing needs.

As you know, eligibility for the Salary Differential Housing Allowance Program has been restricted to:

• Newly recruited full-time appointees who are members of the Academic Senate;
  

• Newly recruited full-time appointees who are in the Acting Assistant Professor series; and
  

• Further restricted to those within two years of appointment and who have not owned their principal place of residence within reasonable distance to the campus on or after the date of their appointment and do not own such residence at the time of application.

Effective immediately, the President has delegated to campuses the authority to approve exceptions to the current eligibility requirements. Requests for exceptions should be addressed to my office, routed through the Academic Personnel Office and require approval before any offer is extended. As always, please feel free to contact me directly when urgent recruitment and retention matters arise.

Exception to the maximum housing allowance, currently $29,417 per recipient will continue to require approval by the President.

Sincerely,

Norman Abrams
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

March 2, 1998

Provosts, Deans, Chairs, Directors and Faculty

Re: Faculty Service on Ad Hoc Review Committees

The Council on Academic Personnel has expressed concern because of a decrease in the number of faculty agreeing to serve on campus ad hoc review committees. A key element in our academic review process has traditionally involved the independent assessment of faculty performance by review committees. I share the Council's concern, since our unique peer review system cannot function without the active participation of every faculty member as needed.

As you may know, in recent years, we have taken steps to reduce the demand on faculty time for ad hoc committee service for example, by reducing the membership of each review committee from five to four; and by not using review committees in some cases in which such committees were formerly used. Both the Council and I are sensitive to the time demands that such ad hoc committee service imposes, and we know how full are the schedules of our colleagues. Collegial evaluation remains, however, an essential ingredient in maintaining the academic standards that have made UCLA a first rank university.

I join the Council in urging each member of the faculty to make this important service a matter of the highest priority.

Sincerely,

Norman Abrams
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

February 27, 1998

To All Deans

Re: Fourth Year Appraisals of Assistant Professors

After consultation with the Council on Academic Personnel, I am writing to clarify the procedure that is involved in our Fourth Year Appraisals of Assistant Professors, and to ask that you communicate on this matter with the chairs of your departments.

As you know, the chair of the department receives a letter (either from your office or from my office, as described below) communicating the appraisal outcome, along with a copy of the evaluation submitted by the Council on Academic Personnel. It is essential that the chair then provide the faculty member with these evaluations, and discuss the substance of the evaluations with the candidate. The entire purpose of the Fourth year Appraisal is to provide a basis for the faculty member to assess his/her progress, and to provide a basis as well for adequate mentoring in the pursuit of a successful career at UCLA. Concerns have been expressed that on occasion this process is not followed through, and I urge that you establish with your chairs the importance of a fully informative appraisal procedure.

I wish to mention that, in consequence of discussions at the annual CAP retreat, the routing and responsibility for the final letter of appraisal in fourth year reviews has been established as follows:

1. Where the department and CAP have recommended a Favorable or a With Reservations appraisal, the dossier is normally forwarded to your office for final action—i.e., for your decision and preparation of the letter of transmittal to the Chair. [Note that where the Dean's decision differs from that of the Council on Academic Personnel, a discussion of the matter with the CAP chair is in order.]

2. Where an "Unfavorable" fourth year appraisal is recommended (or where the
   CAP judgment is that there is a substantial "Unfavorable" element in the review), the dossier is sent to your office for a decanal review, and then forwarded to my office for final decision and preparation of the letter of transmittal to the Chair. When this occurs, we shall make it clear in our transmittal to your office.

Sincerely,

Norman Abrams
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

January 26, 1998

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS and DIRECTORS

Re: Access to Records for Unsuccessful Applicants

I am writing to clarify policy with regard to requests from unsuccessful applicants for academic positions for copies of their application file, including evaluation letters. Although applicants generally do not have a right of access to their University files pursuant to the Academic Personnel Manual, Section 160, they do have a right of access to their files under the Information Practices Act.

The Information Practices Act (Section 1798.38 of the California Civil Code) states that information compiled for the purpose of determining an individual’s qualification for employment must be disclosed to that individual. If the information was received with the promise that the identity of the source would be held in confidence, then the identity of the source may be withheld.

Based on the above, departments should respond to applicants’ requests by providing them with copies of the requested record(s). If the requested record (i.e. search committee report) contains information about more than one candidate, the records should be redacted so that only information about the candidate making the request is disclosed. If reviewers were solicited in confidence, then the department should redact the identity of the source. The identity of the source may be concealed by redaction or by providing a comprehensive summary.

Departments should review their procedures for soliciting and/or receiving letters of evaluation to ensure that they have a method for notifying reviewers of the campus policy regarding disclosure of applicant files and that their procedures include a means of promising reviewers that their identity will be confidential.

Questions regarding this policy may be directed to Alexis Kirby of the Academic Personnel Office at extension 54785.

Sincerely,

Norman Abrams
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

July 16, 1997

Deans, Department Chairs and Directors

Re: Child Care Services

This letter is to remind departments recruiting new faculty members of the child care services that are available to campus families.

Child Care services, a part of Business and Finance, operates four child care centers providing a variety of child care options, and an Outreach Program which gives information about a broad range of community services and resources.

Departments should prioritize faculty children for placement at the Fernald Child Care Center following the procedures established in their respective School or College and in accordance with UCLA Child Care Enrollment Policies and Procedures. Should space not be immediately available at Fernald, or should the family need or prefer other services, highly skilled child care personnel will work individually with the family to identify the resources they need. This personal individualized service has proved to be very useful in assisting prospective, new or existing new faculty members to determine how the needs of their family can be met either in the UCLA or the surrounding community.

Sincerely,

Norman Abrams
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel