I was told by the previous chair of the Senate, Professor John Edmond, to expect as one of the most frequently asked questions, “Are we going to have a VERIP?” He was right. But running a close second this year is, “Why semesters? Why does the Senate want us to consider switching to semesters? We’ve been down that road several times before, it would be an enormous effort and… doesn’t the Senate have anything better to do?

The reason we are being asked to consider switching to a semester system derives from a concern with the quality of the undergraduate educational experience at UCLA. It is difficult to gain admission to UCLA. The campus receives more applications than any other university. Yet, there have been questions raised about the quality of education we provide to the highly selective and talented students who chose UCLA. 

We begin campus wide discussion of the possibility of changing from the quarter to the semester system with the first of two Town Hall meetings Monday, February 10th at the Faculty Center from 3:30 - 5:00 pm.  Chancellor Carnesale will join us for this discussion. The meeting will review the timetable for campus wide review and the scheduled referendum of the faculty during the Vice Chair election in early May.

Be sure to visit our Senate’s Academic Calendar website to find the latest information. The Senate is now engaging this issue. You might find the discussion at UC Davis of interest. I found the candid comments of our Berkeley colleagues on the question of converting from a quarter to semester particularly instructive.

Finally, a new joint Senate/Administration Taskforce on Undergraduate Education in a Research Context has been appointed to look at issues raised in the BSA audit of the University. The Task Force report is due April 15.