NOVEMBER 2007 VOLUME 4 NO. 3
SAP Committee Announced; Kick-off Meeting Jump-Starts Process
Two more major steps in UC Merced’s campus-wide academic-planning exercise have been taken in the last month with the announcement of a 16-member Strategic Academic Planning Committee (SAPC) on Oct. 15 and the delivery of its formal charge at the Nov. 1 kick-off meeting.
The SAPC consists of 10 faculty members, four members of the administrative staff and two students. It is co-chaired by Chancellor Steve Kang and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Keith Alley. A full membership list with affiliations is available online.
The committee’s specific task over the coming months is to develop a rich set of academic program proposals that, if developed, could become a major part of UC Merced’s future direction. The proposals should address the pressing needs of the San Joaquin Valley (such as health care or environmental quality) but have potentially far-reaching global applications. They should reflect the seven areas of strategic emphasis outlined in the Chancellor’s Vision Statement and be capable of attracting world-class faculty, top-level students and incremental resources needed to achieve recognition and distinction for the university.
In announcing the committee, Kang and Alley noted that the committee represents a broad cross-section of interests and experience, but added, “While we believe we have a very good mix of perspectives on the planning committee, we are asking each member to approach his or her assignment with the broad interests of the campus community at heart … This will be especially important as we push for programmatic ideas that go well beyond what we offer today.”
All UC campuses have Strategic Academic Plans and refresh them periodically as conditions warrant. For example, UC Santa Cruz is updating its SAP to reflect a growing emphasis on graduate and research programs and other significant campus developments since its last comprehensive plan was produced in 1988.
For more information and frequent updates on the SAP process, see the SAP Web site. Questions and comments may be submitted through the convenient feedback button provided.