BRIEFLY

UCSD and Children’s Hospital to Unite

The UC Regents have endorsed an agreement to integrate a children’s health program at Children’s Hospital to create a world-class center for pediatric care, research and teaching in the final stage of discussions between physicians and administrators from UCSD and Children’s Hospital.

Combining UCSD’s pediatric services with those of Children’s Hospital would enhance the repute of both parties and would allow both institutions to continue attracting the best pediatricians and pediatric researchers. It would also allow extended community-based programming and outreach.

The agreement is an extension of collaborations which are already taking place between the two institutions. Both have successfully established numerous joint patient care, teaching and research programs.

Plans for the integration include provisions to establish new research facilities at the Children’s Hospital site in addition to continuing and extending collaboration among researchers and clinicians developing improved diagnostic and treatment approaches to childhood disease.

Regents Approve Plan to Admit More Graduate Students

The University of California approved a budget last Thursday that focuses on expanding UC’s contributions to the California economy, improving student access to a UC education and preserving high quality teaching, research and public service.

UC’s state-funded operating budget would rise 7.7 percent to 3.45 billion under the budget plan. The university’s total budget, which reflects funds from all sources, including federal funds for the three national laboratories managed by UC, would be approximately $15.7 billion. Excluding the labs, the total budget would be approximately $12.5 billion.

The university’s state budget request is built on a “”partnership agreement”” reached this year with Gov. Gray Davis. The partnership provides for predictable annual increases in state General Fund support for UC, along with the university’s commitment to meeting accountability goals in specific areas of performance, which the university is currently meeting or exceeding.

Regents Make Decision to Admit More Graduate Students

In an effort to maintain California’s economic growth and the university’s role in the state’s economy, the University of California announced Thursday that it would meet the state’s future workforce needs by enrolling an additional 11,000 graduate students to the UC system in the next ten years.

The University of California will employ several tactics to facilitate its goal to spread the extra graduate students across its ten campuses. These include increased funding dedicated to research assistantships as research grants and contracts grow, including state-funded research initiatives proposed in the 2001-02 budget; more funding for teaching assistantships as undergraduate enrollments grow; increased fee waivers for research assistants and teaching assistants, consistent with the university’s contract with the union representing UC teaching assistants; and examination by UC of other opportunities to augment graduate student financial support from other university fund sources, such as student fees and private gifts.

UC Regents Act to Improve Employee Salaries, Benefits

The UC Board of Regents approved a budget Thursday that would significantly improve wages and benefits for UC employees by increasing salaries that are not keeping up with the marketplace and by expanding UC’s child care program.

The UC Regents also announced the approval of a program that would expand eligibility for UC retirement benefits to “”casual”” employees.

This is the second year that the Regents have made actions in an effort to attract and retain qualified and talented personnel.

Among the specific improvements to help institute the changes are an average 2 percent employee salary increase, merit increases for eligible employees and a 1 percent parity increase to keep faculty salaries market-competitive.

The University of California is also proposing a plan that would grant “”casual”” employees career status after reaching the 1,000-hour threshold at which they would also be able to accumulate retirement benefits in accordance with the new budget.

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