IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 7, 2007
PRESS CONTACTS

Oiyan Poon: UCSA President, 510.384.6445
Jennifer Knox: UCSA Organizing Director, 510.834.8272
Ray Austin: UCSA University Affairs Director, 510.834.8272

UC Students Invited to Participate in Selection of Next UC President

UCSA Seeks Undergraduate, Graduate and Professional Students to Represent Student Perspectives on Several UC-wide Standing and Special Committees

OAKLAND, Calif., September 7, 2007 — The University of California Student Association (UCSA) seeks student representatives for several UC-wide Standing Committees, as part of the University commitment to Shared Governance, for the 2007-08 academic year. The committees with openings for student representatives are:

• Student Advisory Committee for the Appointment of the President of the University of California;
• UC Student Mental Health Oversight Committee;
• UC Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES);
• Committee on Trademark Licenses; (2 Students)
• Informational Technology and Telecommunications; (1 Graduate student)
• International Education (formerly Education Abroad); (1 Graduate student)
• Library; (1 Graduate student)
• Undergraduate Preparatory Education; (1 Undergraduate student)
• University Committee on Research and Policy; (1 Graduate student)
• Competitive Graduate Student Financial Support Committee; (1 Professional Student)
• California Student Aid Loan Advisory Committee; (1 Student)
• UC-California Community College Transfer Advisory Board. (1 Undergraduate student, who is a community college transfer)

"I am confident we will get a diverse pool of vocal and assertive students applying for these important committees, so that UC students can be assured that their concerns are addressed within these policymaking groups," stated Oiyan Poon, UCSA President. The principle of Shared Governance allows students to participate in the system-wide policymaking process with faculty and administrators throughout the UC system. While meetings are held at various campuses throughout the state, recognizing the importance of student participation, the UC Office of the President generously supports the travel expenses for student members of these committees.

The deadline for applications has been extended to 5 p.m., Thursday, September 13, 2007. The online application can be found at: http://www.ucsa.org/involved/syscomm/application.php. To apply for positions on the Student Advisory Committee for the Appointment of the President, Mental Health committee, and the UCUES committee, students are advised to indicate that they are applying for these committees within the text of the application. They are not required to indicate these committee preferences in the "committee preference" drop down menus.

With UC President Dynes' decision to resign the UC presidency, Regents Chairman Blum has appointed a Special Committee to Consider the Selection of a President, which will seek advisement from a Student Advisory Committee (SAC). As stipulated by the Policy on Appointment of the President of the University California, the President of UCSA will serve as chair of the SAC. Louise Hendrickson, Chair of the UCSA Board of Directors, will serve as Vice Chair of the SAC. Together Poon, Hendrickson, and Danny Montes, UCSA Secretary and Finance Officer, will consider applications for this committee, and provide the UCSA Board of Directors with their recommended appointments. Each UC campus will have one representative on the SAC. In total, the SAC will have 12 members. "We are committed to appointing a diverse group of students, representing graduate, professional, and undergraduate students from all backgrounds," said Hendrickson. Montes added, "All of these committees are very important. Students must be actively engaged in the policymaking process of the University."

The UCSA Board of Directors will vote to finalize the membership of the SAC at its September Board meeting at UC Davis. At this meeting, UCSA will also make appointments for student representatives to the eleven other committees. To see detailed descriptions of these committees, with the exception of the Student Advisory Committee for the Appointment of the President, Mental Health, and UCUES, please refer to: http://www.asucm.org/get-involved/uc-system-wide-committees/. For more information about UCUES, please refer to: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/studentsurvey/. The final report of the UC Student Mental Health Committee can be found at: http://www.ucop.edu/sas/student_affairs_and_services/SMHCommittee2006.pdf.

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UCSA is a coalition of students and student governments that aims to provide a collective voice for all students through advocacy and direct action. UCSA participates in the shared governance of the University of California system, and seeks to advance higher education by empowering current and future students to advocate on their own behalf for the accessibility, affordability, and quality of the University of California system.

Jennifer Knox
Organizing & Communications Director
UC Student Association (UCSA)
510.834.8272 |510.834.8286 fax
www.ucsa.org