News in Brief

No raise for chancellors

Acknowledging the state's budget shortfall and UC's need to tighten spending, the Board of Regents, meeting at Covel Commons Jan. 16, put aside for now a plan to raise chancellors' salaries, despite a salary lag behind those of two comparison groups. Chancellors earn an average annual base salary of $360,500, ranging from $300,000 to $436,800, not including benefits, housing and other compensation. A 2007 survey showed that the chancellors' average base salary is now 34% behind the median salary of $550,251 earned by the heads of eight universities, to which UC compares itself.

Apply as a staff advisor to the regents

Eligible UC staff and non-Senate academic employees interested in serving as the 2008-2010 Staff Advisor to the UC Board of Regents are invited to apply. Deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 29. Non-voting staff advisors attend and participate in committee and regents meetings to foster communication between UC staff and the regents. The person selected for the two-year term will serve as staff advisor designate for the first year and as staff advisor for the second year. For more information on the position’s responsibilities and how to apply, visit www.universityofcalifornia.edu/staffadvisors. Hard copies of the application form are available at UCLA's Campus Human Resources/Employment Office.

New UC vice president for budget

The UC Board of Regents named Patrick J. Lenz as UC vice president for budget, effective no later than Feb. 25, on the recommendation of UC President Robert C. Dynes. Lenz is one of California's leading experts in public higher education funding. Upon joining UC, Lenz will have held senior budget positions in all three segments of California public higher education, most recently as assistant vice chancellor for budget for CSU. Previously he held various positions with the California Community Colleges, including as the system's executive vice chancellor. As vice president of budget, Lenz, 54, will have responsibility for developing, approving, communicating and implementing the university's operating and capital resources acquisitions, allocation and long-range budget plans. Lenz will report to Executive Vice President Katherine N. Lapp.

Learn about Academic Senate Faculty Grants

Senate faculty, deans, directors, department chairs and administrative officers are invited to attend the Academic Senate Faculty Grants Program's information and training sessions. (Attendance at both sessions is not necessary.) Designed to guide faculty members applying for the Faculty Research Grant or the Research Enabling Grant, sessions are set for Jan. 23 and Jan. 30, 3:30-4:30 p.m., 146 Dodd Hall. The grant application process will be reviewed and helpful information provided to ensure successful submission. RSVP is required. Contact Dottie Ayer, (310) 206-2070, dayer@senate.ucla.edu; or Cathy Davis,(310)825-3853, cdavis@senate.ucla.edu, who can also answer any questions about the Faculty Grants Program.

Digital Media and the Electronic Book

The Experiential Technologies Center and the Center for Research in Engineering, Media, and Performance present "An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding the Electronic Book." Ray G. Siemens, professor of English at the University of Victoria, will discuss the functional and interactive possibilities of digital media and the electronic book on Feb. 6, 7 p.m. in the Herbert Morris Seminar Room, 306 Royce Hall. Learn more and RSVP. An informal roundtable discussion follows on Feb. 7, 12-1 p.m. in the Center for Digital Humanities Conference Room, 1023 Public Policy: RSVP.

eScholarship Repository passes milestone

The eScholarship Repository, a service of the California Digital Library (CDL), has surpassed the 5 million mark for full-text downloads of its open access scholarly content. The repository is composed of collaborative publishing efforts between CDL and the University of California Press. With UC publishing more than 20,000 papers and works, this development reflects the adoption and usage rate of the repository since its inception in 2002. The use of these materials has grown significantly over the past five years, exceeding 55,000 full-text downloads per week. The eScholarship Repository represents one of the UC's most successful efforts to improve and issue innovative alternatives to the struggles faced by the scholarly publishing system in serving the needs and requirements of the academic community.

UCLA Live grant for artistic programming

UCLA Live has received a $100,000 grant for artistic programming and audience development from the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. The award represents the largest single-year, current-use gift for programming received to date. UCLA Live's ticket sales account for about 50% of its operating budget, an amount which is supplemented by season sponsorships, personal and corporate underwriting for series or shows, and Royce Center Circle memberships. According to Wendy Garen, executive director of Parsons Foundation, "The foundation is honored to be recognized as the major sponsor of UCLA Live's 07/08 season. This grant reflects our confidence in the organization and the artistic vision of its leader David Sefton, which are both so important to the cultural landscape of Los Angeles. I hope our action will inspire other private gifts and corporate partnerships with UCLA Live."