The Regents of the University of California is the governing board of the University of California system. The board has 26 voting members.
The California Constitution grants broad institutional autonomy, with limited exceptions, to the Regents. According to article IX, section 9, "The University shall be entirely independent of all political or sectarian influence and kept free therefrom in the appointment of its regents and in the administration of its affairs."
As with almost all other public university systems nationwide, the board of regents is treated as the real party in interest for all purposes under California law. Legally speaking, the Regents are a California corporation, administering the university as a public trust under the California Constitution. All actions of the university are done in their name, all degrees are conferred in their name, all UC property is held in their name (and is marked by signs indicating "Property of the Regents of the University of California"), all bank accounts are held in their name (and all checks must be written as payable to "UC Regents"), and all lawsuits involving the University always refer specifically to the regents. This is notable because most corporations (especially private ones) are treated by the law as a legal entity separate from their boards and employees, and lawsuits against them are addressed to the corporation or university itself, not its board of directors or trustees.
Administrative support is provided to the Regents by the Office of the Secretary of the Regents of the University of California, which shares an office building with the UC Office of the President in Oakland.
In May 2017, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Regents had been hosting costly dinner parties using university funds. After extensive public outcry, university leaders released a statement saying the university would no longer fund these dinners.
Composition
The majority of the board (18 Regents) is appointed via nomination by the Governor of California and confirmation by the California State Senate to 12-year terms. One student Regent is appointed by the Board for a one-year term. The remaining 7 Regents are ex officio members. They are the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the State Assembly, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, president and vice president of the Alumni Associations of UC, and president of the University of California.
The Board also has two non-voting faculty representatives. The incoming student Regent serves as a non-voting Regent-designate from the date of selection (usually between July and October) until beginning their formal term the following July 1.
The vast majority of the Regents appointed by the Governor historically have consisted of lawyers, politicians and businessmen. Over the past two decades, it has been common that UC Regents appointees have donated relatively large sums of money either directly to the Governor's election campaigns or indirectly to party election groups.
Regents
Current members
Originally appointed by Gov. Gray Davis:
- Sherry L. Lansing (appointed 1999; reappointed 2010; term expires March 1, 2022)
- Monica Lozano (appointed 2001; resigned 2013; reappointed in 2014 by Jerry Brown, reappointment confirmed on Aug. 22, 2014, term expires March 1, 2022)
- Norman J. Pattiz (appointed 2001; reappointed 2003; reappointed in 2014 by Jerry Brown, reappointment confirmed on Aug. 22, 2014, term expires March 1, 2026)
- Richard C. Blum (appointed 2002; reappointed in 2014 by Jerry Brown, reappointment confirmed on Aug. 22, 2014, term expires March 1, 2026)
Originally appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:
- Frederick Ruiz (appointed 2004; term expires March 1, 2016)
- Paul Wachter (appointed 2004; term expires March 1, 2016)
- Eddie Island (appointed 2005; term expires March 1, 2017)
- William De La Peña, M.D. (appointed 2006; term expires March 1, 2018)
- Bruce D. Varner (appointed 2006; term expires March 1, 2018)
- Bonnie Reiss (appointed 2008; term expires March 1, 2020)
- Hadi Makarechian (appointed 2008; term expires March 1, 2020)
- Charlene Zettel (appointed 2009; term expires March 1, 2021)
- George Kieffer (Chairman) (appointed 2009; term expires March 1, 2021)
Originally appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown:
- Richard Sherman (appointed 2014, appointment confirmed on Aug. 22, 2014; term expires March 1, 2025)
- Eloy Ortiz Oakley (appointed 2014; term expires March 1, 2024)
- John Pérez (Vice Chair) (appointed 2014; term expires March 1, 2024)
- Gareth Elliott (appointed 2015; 2025 term expires March 1, 2025)
Student Regent:
- Marcela Ramirez (term expires June 30, 2017)
Ex officio Regents
- Jerry Brown (Governor)
- Gavin Newsom (Lieutenant Governor)
- Anthony Rendon (Assembly Speaker)
- Tom Torlakson (Superintendent of Public Instruction)
- Janet Napolitano (UC President)
- Cynthia So Schroeder (President, Alumni Associations of UC, 2015â€"2016)
- Harvey Brody (Vice-President, Alumni Associations of UC, 2015â€"2016)
Regents-designate
Regents-designate are non-voting participants who are scheduled to transition to full board membership at later date.
- J. Alberto Lemus (given alumni Regent-designate status 2016; designate status expires June 30, 2017)
- Francesco Mancia (given alumni Regent-designate status 2016; designate status expires June 30, 2017)
- Paul Monge Rodriguez (given student Regent-designate status 2016; designate status expires June 30, 2017)
Faculty representatives
Faculty Representatives to the Regents are non-voting participants who may be assigned as representatives to certain committees.
- Shane White (became a representative in 2016; representative status expires August 31, 2018)
- James Chalfant (became a representative in 2015; representative status expires August 31, 2017)
Staff advisor
Non-voting participant who are assigned as representatives to Regents' committees.
- Jason Valdry (July 1, 2017 â€" June 30, 2018)
- Sherry Main (Staff advisor-designate, July 1, 2017 â€" June 30, 2018)
Student advisor
Non-voting participant who are assigned as representatives to Regents' committees.
- Rafael "Rafi" Sands (July 1, 2017 â€" June 30, 2018)
Notable past Regents
- Ben Allen (2007-2008)
- Gerry Parsky (1996-2008)
- John J. Moores (1999â€"2007)
- David S. Lee (1994â€"2006)
- Ward Connerly (1993â€"2005)
- Janice Eberly (1985â€"1986)
- Dolores Huerta (2003-2004)
- Howard H. Leach (1990â€"2001)
- Clair Burgener (1988â€"1997)
- John F. Henning (1989â€"1997)
- Tirso del Junco (1985-1997)
- Willis Harman (1980â€"1990)
- William French Smith (1968â€"1990)
- Sheldon Andelson (1982â€"1987)
- Janice Eberly (1985â€"1986)
- Gregory Bateson (1976â€"1980)
- William Coblentz (1964-1980)
- Yvonne Burke (1979)
- Fred Dutton (1962â€"1978)
- William M. Roth (1961â€"1977)
- Elinor Raas Heller (1961â€"1976)
- Norton Simon (1960â€"1976)
- Edwin W. Pauley (1940â€"1972)
- Dorothy Buffum Chandler (1954â€"1968)
- H. R. Haldeman (President, AAUC, 1965â€"1967; 1968)
- William E. Forbes (1960-1961, 1962)
- Thomas M. Storke (1955â€"1960)
- John Francis Neylan (1928â€"1955)
- Stanley Mosk (1940â€"1941)
- Paul Peek (1939â€"1940)
- William H. Crocker (1908â€"1937)
- William John Cooper (1927-1929)
- Phoebe Hearst (1897â€"1919)
- Stanley Sheinbaum (1977â€"1989)
- Charles Stetson Wheeler (1892â€"1896, 1902â€"1907, 1911â€"1923)
- Leland Stanford (1882â€"1883)
- Timothy Guy Phelps (1880â€"1899)
- Benjamin B. Redding (1880â€"1882)
Recent Regents
- Peter Preuss (1994-1995, 1996-2008, 2011â€"2012)
- Odessa P. Johnson (1999-2012)
- Joanne C. Kozberg (1998-2010)
- Judith L. Hopkinson (1999-2009)
- Velma K. Montoya (1994-2005)
- Thomas S. Sayles (1994-2006)
- John G. Davies (1992-2004)
- William T. Bagley (1989-2002)
- S. Sue Johnson (1988-1989, 1990-2002)
- S. Stephen Nakashima (1989-2001)
- Frank W. Clark, Jr. (1980-2000)
Honorary Regents
In its early years, UC had thirteen Honorary Regents, with ten appointed in 1868. "Honorary Regents" were full board members, with the word "Honorary" simply denoting their manner of selection (that is, they were elected to serve on the board by the other board members, instead of being appointed by the governor). Some were then appointed to another term, following their term as Honorary Regent, by the governor. One (Tompkins) was re-elected.
- Frederick Low (1868), 9th Governor of California from 1863 to 1867; considered the "father of the University of California"
- Andrew J. Moulder (1868), State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1862â€"1863; a founder of Minns’ Evening Normal School in San Francisco in 1857 and of the first California State Normal School in San Jose, approved by the Legislature in 1862
- Edward Tompkins (1868â€"1872)
- Samuel F. Butterworth (1868â€"1873)
- Joseph M. Moss (1868â€"1874)
- William Chapman Ralston (1868â€"1875), founder of the Bank of California
- John B. Felton (1868â€"1877)
- Isaac Friedlander (1868â€"1869)
- Augustus J. Bowie (1868â€"1880)
- John S. Hager (1868â€"1890), California State Senator and district judge; United States Senator from California (1873â€"1875)
- Louis Sachs (1869â€"1875)
- Henry H. Haight (1872), 10th Governor of California; signed the Charter of the University of California on March 23, 1868
- Andrew Smith Hallidie (1873), "regarded as the inventor of the cable car and father of the present day San Francisco cable car system"; President of the San Francisco Mechanics' Institute 1868â€"1877 and 1893â€"1895
Notable legal cases
- Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
- Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California
- Moore v. Regents of the University of California
- USL v. BSDi
- Hamilton v. Regents of the University of California
References
External links
- Official website
- Former Regents are listed chronologically at UC Berkeley's history site
- Regents of the University of California--Biographies, UC History Digital Archives (UC Regents from 1868 to 2003).
- Trombley, William. 1974. UC Regents: An Elite Club That Runs a Vast University. Los Angeles Times (Sunday, June 23, 1974), pages II-1, II-7, II-8.
- UC Democracy Project
- 2008 Meet the Regents article
- The UCSB Disorientation Guide's article on the UC Regents