In UC's system of shared governance, one might think that the Academic Senate would meet more than four times a year.

In fact, it is the senate's Representative Assembly that meets only four times a year — bringing together about 100 delegates from various departments, plus committee representatives and ex-officio members.

The real work of the senate is in committees and subcommittees, more than 30 in all with a total of 210 members last year. Total senate membership as of Oct. 30 was 2,531, including 602 emeriti.

Collectively, the senate's committees and subcommittees met hundreds of times during the 2006-07 academic year, for hundreds of hours.

"The bulk of the senate's work is indeed shouldered by committees," said Chair Linda Bisson, a professor of viticulture and enology.

"For these activities, a breadth of experience and approaches is essential," Bisson said. "This breadth is not only discipline-driven but also driven by differences in teaching and learning styles. Therefore, decisions that carry the importance of the work of the senate require that a diversity of perspectives be sought and considered, and differences of opinion thoroughly debated before final decisions are made."

Bisson heads the senate's Executive Council, which met nine times last year, reviewing 92 proposals and issues. They included:

• The university's 2007-08 budget.
• Revising the general education requirement.
• The role of students as instructors of record.
• A board of regents proposal to ban the acceptance of tobacco industry money for research. (This proposal ultimately went to the Representative Assembly, which voted 43-1 to oppose such a ban.)
• Systemwide implementation of a payroll system whereby the university can transmit employees' data to online tax preparation services. (The Representative Assembly objected to the opt-out provision, preferring to see employees opt in if they wanted the university to pass on their tax data.)

Bisson noted that faculty members often work on senate business on an "overload basis," rather than asking for relief from their teaching obligations. "Teaching buyouts are few and far between," she said, "and many faculty are loathe to request them since they value the time they spend in the classroom and in mentoring students."

Last week, the Representative Assembly met for the first time this year, and approved annual reports from the committees and subcommittees for 2006-07. Their reports, comprising more than 200 pages, detailed how many times each committee met, and summarized their work.

Here is a look at some of the numbers:

Meetings — More than 240, not including myriad discussions via the MySenate Web site, e-mail and phone. The Committee on Academic Personnel met the most times, 38.

Personnel actions considered (Committee on Academic Personnel) — 470 (84 appointments, 103 promotions, 172 merit actions, 57 appraisals and 54 other actions.)

Academic personnel appeals reviewed (regarding merit and promotion) — 23. The Committee on Academic Personnel's Appellate Subcommittee recommended in favor of five appellants and against 18. The vice provost for academic personnel ultimately upheld three appeals and denied 14; the six other cases were pending as of the date of the subcommittee's report.

Personnel actions considered (Joint Academic Federation-Senate Pers-onnel Committee) — 166 (60 appointments, 19 appointments via change in title, 5 appeals, 2 conferrals of emeriti status, 3 accelerated merits, 47 redelegated merits, 15 normal merits, 13 promotions, 1 appraisal, 1 five-year review).

Grievances — 3 (regarding a chair's refusal to sign a grant application, on the basis that the research was not in keeping with the department's mission; a reduction in lab space; and a faculty member's request to overturn a grade change).

Graduate student appeals (regarding such issues as examinations, residency and degree requirements) — 5.

Endowment proposals reviewed — 14 (all approved).

Partner Opportunity Program proposals reviewed — 6 (four approved and two denied).

Grant proposals reviewed — 297.

Travel grants reviewed — 419.

Courses reviewed — 558 (211 new, 154 changes and 193 cancellations).

Graduate courses reviewed — 145 (90 new, 34 changes and 21 cancellations).

Associate instructor authorization (under which advanced graduate students are allowed to teach upper division courses) — 133 requests (all approved).

Programs reviewed — 9.

Program bylaws reviewed — 28 (new and revised bylaws, for programs such as art history and public health).

Position reports from the Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility — 5.

Committee on Committees — 210 committee members nominated, 12 Davis Division representatives nominated to systemwide committees, and nominations provided for nine administrative task forces and-or committees.

Distinguished Teaching Awards — 6.

BY THE NUMBERS

Academic Senate's 2006-07 workload included:

240

committee

meetings

470

personnel actions

23

personnel appeals

3

grievances

297

grant proposals

558

courses reviewed