Richard C. Atkinson, President
The University of California was chartered as the State's only Land Grant College in 1868. Throughout its first decades, the University's development was strongly influenced by leading educators and scholars from various parts of the country. Supported by the State and many generous benefactors, the University was responsive to the needs of California while progressing on a steady climb toward eminence in academic and scientific achievement.
Today the University system includes nine campuses: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. All of the campuses adhere to the same admissions guidelines and high academic standards, yet each one has its own distinct character. Among the campuses there are five medical schools, three law schools, and a school of veterinary medicine, as well as professional schools of business administration, education, engineering, oceanography, and many others. The University's libraries are among the finest in the United States; the collections of the more than 100 University of California libraries on the nine campuses are surpassed in size on the American continent only by the Library of Congress collection.
The University is one of the world's largest and most renowned centers of higher education. The faculty is internationally noted for its distinguished academic achievements. On its nine campuses, the University has a total of 19 Nobel laureates. National Academy of Sciences membership on all campuses numbers 252, greater than any other college or university system.
The University maintains a variety of research facilities, agricultural field stations, and extension centers in more than 100 locations throughout California. Public services include medical and dental clinics, information services for agricultural and urban populations, and a broad program of continuing education for adults in the arts, business, and professions.
Under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, the University operates three national research facilities: the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory adjoining the Berkeley campus; the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory at Livermore, California; and the Los Alamos National Laboratory at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Other major research facilities include Lick Observatory, White Mountain Research Station for high-altitude research, Laboratory of Radio Astronomy, Bodega Marine Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Institute of Transportation Studies, State-wide Air Pollution Research Center, Space Sciences Laboratory, Hormone Research Center, and Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center, among others.
One of the University's unique resources is its roster of University Professors. The University Professor title is reserved for certain distinguished faculty members who are recognized nationally and internationally as scholars and teachers of exceptional ability. A University Professor may visit a number of University of California campuses during the academic year, holding conferences with students and staff and speaking before general public audiences. A list of University Professors may be found in the Appendix.
Governance. Under the State constitution, governance of the University is entrusted to the Board of Regents. The Regents appoint the President of the University, and with the President's advice, the officers of the University. Among these are the Vice Presidents, the Chancellors, and the Directors of the major laboratories. The Regents also directly appoint the principal officers of the Regents: the General Counsel, the Treasurer, and the Secretary.
Authority in academic matters is delegated by the Regents to the Academic Senate, which consists of faculty and certain administrative officers. The Academic Senate determines academic policy for the University as a whole, sets conditions for admission and the granting of degrees, authorizes and supervises courses and curricula, and advises the University administration on faculty appointments, promotions, and budgets.
Students participate in policy-making at both the campus and Universitywide levels.
The Board of Regents includes seven ex officio board members, and 18 regular members who are appointed by the Governor for 12-year terms after consultation with an advisory committee. In addition, The Regents appoint a student Regent for a one-year term as a voting Board member with full rights of participation. The Chair and Vice Chair of the Academic Council serve as faculty representatives to the Board and participate fully in all discussions. A constitutional amendment provides that "Regents shall be able persons broadly reflective of the economic, cultural, and social diversity of the State, including ethnic minorities and women." They shall have "full powers of organization and government, subject only to such legislative controls as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the terms of the endowments of the University and the security of its funds."
The President is executive head of the total institution. Each of the nine campuses has a Chancellor as its chief administrative officer. The Chancellor is responsible for the organization and operation of the campus, including academic, student, and business affairs. The names of University Regents, Officers, and Chancellors are presented in the Appendix.
Laurel L. Wilkening, Chancellor
The University of California, Irvine (UCI) opened in 1965 with 116 faculty and 1,589 students. In the succeeding 31 years, UCI has attained national and international distinction in its programs and faculty. The campus challenges its students both academically and personally and relies on the commitment, curiosity, imagination, and judgment of its faculty and students to assure its continued intellectual and cultural vitality.
UCI is among the leading research universities in the United States. In 199495, UCI received more than $126 million from federal and state agencies and private organizations for the support of the teaching, research, and public service missions of the University. Research is an integral part of all schools and departments, and many of UCI's research programs have achieved national and international distinction for their work.
The research programs at UCI have a positive impact on both undergraduate and graduate education. Research is critical to graduate education because of the research-oriented nature of doctoral study. At the undergraduate level, research at UCI provides undergraduate students with access to a faculty made up of researchers at the forefront of their fields. As a consequence, the knowledge received by UCI students is the most up-to-date available.
UCI is committed to the pursuit and transmission of knowledge. It makes available to its 17,280 students (13,830 undergraduate, 2,280 graduate, and 1,170 health sciences students and medical residents) opportunities for gaining knowledge, training, skills, and credentials which in turn can provide the basis for enhanced social and economic opportunities. With regard to making these opportunities available to all students, UCI takes very seriously its responsibility to establish and implement programs that go beyond legal minimums to ensure that all qualified segments of the public have access and equal opportunity to participate in its academic programs.
UCI's education and research missions are fulfilled in its schools, departments, and programs, which are described briefly below, and in its formal research units, which are described in the Research and Graduate Studies section.
The School of the Arts teaches the creative as well as the academic and critical dimensions of the arts. It is concerned with the vitality of the arts in society. Faculty energies are directed toward the refinement, enhancement, and encouragement of students' artistic and creative talents and toward the development of the students' understanding of related theory and history. The School offers programs which emphasize extensive studio and workshop experiences, essential theoretical and historical background studies, and exercises in criticism. There are 610 students in the School, including 510 undergraduate and 100 graduate.
The School of Biological Sciences is one of the campus' larger academic units, with 3,600 students (3,410 undergraduate and 190 graduate). Faculty research areas include neural plasticity and behavior (which in part encompasses the development of the nervous system, memory, response to injury, and degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's); the nature of cell-cell interactions; pattern formation; the elucidation of ecological conditions and evolutionary histories that have been the driving forces in organism design and functional diversity; the organization and expression of genes; biomolecular structure; molecular pathogenesis; and cell biology.
The Department of Education, with 130 students, offers an Ed.D. in Educational Administration and credential programs for current and prospective teachers and administrators in California's public elementary and secondary schools. A focus of the Department's research and instructional programs is educational technology. In addition, the teaching credential programs are enriched by an emphasis on literacy, multicultural perspectives, and modalities of learning. The Department is recognized throughout California for its leadership in the development of exemplary programs to improve education in grades K12.
The School of Engineering focuses on the analysis and design of physical systems applying modern scientific principles to the development of technology for society. The School has 1,360 students, of which 1,010 are undergraduate and 350 are graduate students. The major research disciplines are aerospace, biochemical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, materials science, and mechanical engineering. Research issues include biochemical and bioreactor engineering, earthquake engineering, water resources, transportation, parallel and distributed computer systems, intelligent systems and neural networks, image and signal processing, opto-electronic devices and materials, fluid mechanics, combustion and jet propulsion, materials processing, robotics, and modern control theory.
The School of Humanities faculty has been repeatedly honored for its teaching and scholarly excellence. Included in the faculty's more than 100 research specialties are literary criticism, film studies, Southern history, the philosophy of science, women's studies, East Asian languages and literatures, and bilingual education. The School houses the renowned René Wellek Special Collection of Literary Criticism and the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae Project, the unique computerized databank of all existing Greek literature from its Homeric beginnings to A.D. 1453. The School has 1,640 students, including 1,270 undergraduate and 370 graduate.
The Department of Information and Computer Science (ICS) has 770 students (660 undergraduate and 110 graduate). ICS faculty, together with the students, are actively engaged in research and teaching in artificial intelligence, especially neural networks, machine learning, and automated reasoning; computer systems design, including computer-aided design, hardware-software codesign and rapid system prototyping, optimizing compilers, parallel processing, and networks; issues in computing, organizations, policy, and society, including computer-supported cooperative work and human-computer interaction; software, including software environments, process, metrics, testing, analysis, and user interfaces; biomedical computing; and theory of design and analysis of algorithms and data structures, including graph algorithms, scheduling and resource allocation, and computational geometry.
UCI's Interdisciplinary Programs (IDPs) provide students with opportunities to pursue subject areas which derive from the interaction of different disciplines. The IDPs are African-American Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, Global Peace and Conflict Studies, History and Philosophy of Science, Latin American Studies, Transportation Science, and Women's Studies.
Faculty in the Graduate School of Management are involved in studies of organizational behavior, information technology, finance, marketing, real estate, managerial economics, accounting, decision sciences, operations management, strategy, public policy, and health care management. The School has 220 students in its graduate programs leading to the M.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees, and 200 students in its program leading to an undergraduate minor in Management. In addition, the Executive M.B.A. Program, the Health Care Executive M.B.A. Program, and the Fully Employed M.B.A. Program have a total of 290 students.
The School of Physical Sciences has a student body of 1,260 (970 undergraduate and 290 graduate). Researchers in the School are conducting investigations in atmospheric chemistry (including the discovery of the adverse impact of manmade chlorofluorocarbon compounds on the earth's ozone layer), biogeochemistry and climate, synthetic chemistry, laser spectroscopy, elementary particle physics (including the discoveries of a new subatomic particle--the neutrino--and a rare subatomic event--the double beta decay), plasma physics, and applied mathematics and mathematical physics.
The School of Social Ecology, a multidisciplinary unit established in 1970, is unique to UCI. The School's central objectives are the application of scientific methods to the analysis and resolution of societal problems and the development of theory and knowledge pertinent to environmental and social phenomena. Among issues of long-standing interest are crime and justice in society, social influences on human development over the life cycle, and the effects of the physical environment on health and behavior. There are 1,770 students in the School, including 1,650 undergraduate and 120 graduate.
The School of Social Sciences, with 2,830 students (2,600 undergraduate and 230 graduate), is one of the larger academic units at UCI. The faculty, several of whom are nationally recognized, has expertise in a wide range of specific social science topics, for example, the mathematical modeling of perception and cognitive processes; the economic analysis of transportation; the examination of the impact of society's political system on its economy; the study of social structure and values in different cultures through a formal-scientific methodology; and the exploration of authority structures and inequality in society.
The UCI College of Medicine has 1,170 students (390 medical, 660 resident-physicians and fellows, and 120 graduate). It offers one of the country's largest residency training programs in primary care and internal medicine and houses some of the most advanced equipment in medical imaging and laser medicine available in the world (including a positron emission tomography scanner and an ultrasound microscope, which is one of only two such machines in the U.S. and the only one used in biomedical research). The College's faculty conduct innovative research in the following areas of emphasis: bioethics, biomolecular structure, oncology, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, geriatric medicine, immunology, molecular and human genetics, the neurosciences, and perinatology.
UCI offers programs designed to provide students with a foundation on which to continue developing their intellectual, aesthetic, and moral capacities. Programs and curricula are based on the belief that a student's collective University experience should provide understanding and insight which are the basis for an intellectual identity and lifelong learning.
An important aspect of the educational approach at UCI is the emphasis placed on student involvement in independent study, research, and the creative process as a complement to classroom study. Independent research in laboratories, field study, involvement in writing workshops, and participation in fine arts productions are normal elements of the UCI experience. In many departments special programs and courses which involve students in original research and creative activities are integrated into the curriculum.
UCI provides an atmosphere conducive to creative work and scholarship at all levels, to the exploration of the accumulated knowledge of humanity, and to the development of new knowledge through basic and applied research. Along with these objectives, UCI has a serious commitment to public service. The campus generates research expertise which may be applied to regional and national social issues, and seeks to provide humanistic understanding of the problems of society.
Instruction and research programs at UCI focus on fundamental areas of knowledge, and at the same time provide for interdisciplinary and professional study. The academic units are the School of the Arts, School of Biological Sciences, Department of Education, School of Engineering, School of Humanities, Department of Information and Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Programs, Graduate School of Management, School of Physical Sciences, School of Social Ecology, School of Social Sciences, and the College of Medicine.
The Office of Academic Affairs has responsibility for all programs of instruction and research. It, as well as the Office of Research and Graduate Studies and the Division of Undergraduate Education, report directly to the Executive Vice Chancellor. Matters of educational policy, including approval of programs, courses, and grades, are the responsibility of the Irvine Division of the Academic Senate. The Irvine Division is part of the Academic Senate of the University of California.
The mission of the Division of Student Services may be expressed in terms of its three major goals: (1) to support campus efforts to recruit, enroll, educate, and retain to graduation a diverse student body; (2) to support the academic success and personal development of students with emphasis on ethical development, understanding and appreciation of diversity, leadership skill development, and community service; and (3) to provide programs and services which are ancillary components of a major university. In addition to essential needs such as housing, meals, health services, financial aid, and child care, services include the UCI Bookstore, the Career and Life Planning Center, and the Counseling Center. The Division also includes the Center for Educational Partnerships as well as the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools and the Office of the Registrar. The Division also provides services for students with disabilities, international students, and veterans; supports the Center for Women and Gender Education, the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Resource Center, and the Cross-Cultural Center; and places special emphasis on encouraging students to participate actively in their University experience.
The Division of Undergraduate Education provides leadership in developing policies and programs for the improvement of undergraduate education in such areas as general education, retention, advising, curricular development, undergraduate scholarship and research activities, international education, assessment, improvement of instruction, and improvement of instructional space. Undergraduate Education also administers programs and services affecting undergraduate education which require campus-level attention and coordination and which do not come under the direct authority of the heads of academic units or the Irvine Division of the Academic Senate.
The Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies has general administrative responsibility for graduate education and research. In the area of research, the Vice Chancellor is responsible for research policy development, implementation, and oversight. In graduate education, the Dean of Graduate Studies serves as the academic dean for all graduate students and is responsible for admissions, graduate student services, graduate student support, and the Graduate and Professional Opportunity Program, which facilitates the involvement of minorities (including women in designated fields) traditionally underrepresented in graduate education.
UCI is a member of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The campus is fully accredited by the Senior Commission of WASC. This accreditation requires periodic review in accord with WASC policies and standards. In addition, the undergraduate degree program of the Department of Chemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society; the undergraduate majors in Aerospace, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering offered by the Departments of Chemical and Biochemical, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology; the M.D. program of the UCI College of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association; the Department of Drama is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre, and is a member of the University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA); the Graduate School of Management is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business; and the credential programs of the Department of Education are approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
The UCI Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity provides consultation to the campus and UCI Medical Center on the interpretation and application of both UCI policy and federal and state laws regarding equal opportunity and affirmative action. It also develops and monitors UCI's affirmative action plan as required by federal regulation for staff and faculty.
The Office investigates and provides assistance in the resolution of discrimination complaints, including sexual harassment, brought by students, faculty, and staff. In addition, as a means of promoting awareness and support of the University's commitment to diversity, the Office offers a variety of staff and faculty career development programs, as well as various workshops.
The Office is located in 524 Administration Building; telephone (714) 824-5594.
The Assistant Executive Vice Chancellor-University Ombudsman is available to assist students, faculty, staff, and visitors with problems or concerns they may encounter while on the UCI campus. The Assistant Executive Vice Chancellor-University Ombudsman responds to individual grievances or group petitions by clarifying issues; making appropriate on- and off-campus referrals; and providing a confidential, impartial, and informal setting for mediation, dispute resolution, or conflict negotiation. The Office is located in 255 Administration Building; telephone (714) 824-7256.
UCI's location offers the cultural and economic resources of an urban area along with access to the scenic, recreational areas of Southern California. Located 40 miles south of Los Angeles, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, and nestled in 1,489 acres of coastal foothills near Newport Beach, UCI lies amid rapidly growing residential communities and a dynamic multinational business and industrial complex.
The campus itself is a natural arboretum planted with trees and shrubs from all over the world. Adjacent to the campus lies the San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh Reserve, part of the University's land preserve system and home to a wide variety of migratory and nonmigratory waterfowl and other wildlife.
The Western Center of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is located on the campus and the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering is adjacent to the campus. The UCI Medical Center, located in the City of Orange on a 33-acre site, is a major teaching hospital for the UCI College of Medicine.
University Town Center, a commercial center linked to the campus by a pedestrian bridge, includes apartments, a movie theater complex and comedy nightclub, a post office, restaurants, and various shops and businesses. Also nearby are major department stores, award-winning restaurants featuring a wide variety of international cuisines, and major hotels and resorts. Cultural opportunities include repertory theatres, orchestras, choral groups, dance companies, galleries, and museums. The John Wayne Airport is two miles from campus.
The temperate, Mediterranean climate enhances year-round water-oriented activities such as swimming, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, and tidepooling. Local mountain and desert recreation areas are within easy reach and the metropolitan attractions of Los Angeles and San Diego are within a one- to two-hour drive from the campus.
Bus transportation between the campus, the UCI Medical Center, and major housing areas, shopping centers, and beaches is convenient. In addition, the campus and the surrounding communities are designed to encourage bicycle traffic, and trails connect UCI to many student housing areas and to the waterfront areas of Newport Beach.
