New Regents Appointed
Governor Gray Davis appointed Monica Lozano and Norman Pattiz to serve as regents of the University of California on September 21.
Lozano served as a member of the California State Board of Education, University of Southern California Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Student Achievement. She is the current president of La Opini—n newspaper, where she has worked for 16 years.
Pattiz is a Beverly Hills resident who was appointed to the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors by former President Bill Clinton last November. He has also served as a member of the Broadcast Education Association and the Communications Board of the Associated Students at the university.
The UC Board of Regents is a 26-member body, which governs University policy and finance, and also elects its president.
Money for Religious Center Falls Through
Governor Gray Davis eliminated $100,000 in the state budget set aside for the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at UCSB.
Capps taught at UCSB for 33 years in the Religious Studies Dept. before he was elected to Congress in 1997.
The money would have gone toward staff pursuing public and private funding for the Capps Center.
“The Capps Center will be a particularly fitting memorial to Walter, who gave so much to the people of California through his public service and teaching,” Senator Jack O’Connell said. “I am very disappointed the Governor saw fit to eliminate our seed money, but the effort will go on.”
Once opened, the Capps Center will provide fellowships to students who want to research issues of religion and public service.
UC Extends Reach Across the Border
The UC Regents approved a proposal July 19 to establish Casa de California, a UC international office that would promote research and academic service at a university in Mexico.
Casa de California would be established at UC Mexus, a multi-campus institution housing research on U.S.-Mexico relations.
“The creation of Casa de California will enable the University to enhance its relationships with Mexican universities, government and industry, as well as UC alumni, many of whom are in positions of leadership in Mexican society,” Director of UC Mexus Juan -Vicente Palerm said.
Casa de California is the UC’s second established international office. California House in London was created in 1999 to promote research alliances in Europe.
UCSB Sociology Professor Elected ASA President
Sociology professor William Bielby was elected president of the American Sociological Association (ASA) in early July.
Bielby has taught at UCSB since 1977 after he received his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in 1976. He currently researches gender and racial discrimination in the workplace, media and popular culture and applications of social science in litigation.
“It is an honor to be elected and recognized by my peers,” Bielby said. “I think it also says something about the kind of sociology we do at UC Santa Barbara.”
Bielby will begin his term in August of 2002 and continue until August 2003. The ASA, consisting of 13,000 members, promotes sociology nation wide.
– Compiled by Sarah Healy
