UC staff advisors visit UCSC for meetings

Penny Herbert and Kevin Smith, UC staff advisors to the Board of Regents, spent two days at UC Santa Cruz this week for meetings with Chancellor Blumenthal and campus and university-wide groups.

They also joined members of CUCSA, the Council of UC Staff Assemblies, from all 10 campuses as it held its quarterly meeting at UCSC. UCSC's Staff Advisory Board is represented with a senior delegate on CUCSA.

Herbert, manager of the Department of Clinical Operations at the UC Davis Health System, is the current staff advisor, after serving a year as designate. Smith, the designate, will become the primary advisor next July 1. He is the chief financial and compliance officer for the UCLA Chancellor's office.

Herbert thanked Blumenthal for his role in helping establish the position of a staff advisor to the Regents several years ago when he was the faculty representative to the Regents. The position became official in January 2007 on a unanimous vote of the Regents.

She said she and previous advisors enjoy good access to the Office of the President and Council of Chancellors and are able to bring issues important to UC staff to their attention. She and Smith each sit on Regental committees.

Thursday, Herbert and Smith attended the Academic Business Officers Group (ABOG) general membership meeting in the morning and later met with the ABOB executive group. They had a private meeting with Blumenthal and another with Campus Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor Alison Galloway.  They also met with the Campus Climate Council.

Smith said he and Herbert visit each campus monthly and coordinate visits with other UC groups. Their next meeting is in January at UC Riverside, which will coincide with the next UC Board of Regents meeting.