The UC Board of Regents meeting scheduled to take place this week has been called off amid concerns over the swine flu outbreak.

The three-day conference was originally scheduled to take place at the UC San Diego campus from May 5-7. However, in a move to avoid redirecting campus efforts from combating the swine flu, officials announced a one-day teleconference would be held in place of the conference. The condensed meeting will now occur on Thursday, May 7 beginning at 9 a.m.

UC Regent Chairman Richard C. Blum said the cancellation of the three-day conference was a necessary safety precaution in the face of the recent pandemic.

“Our decision to conduct the meeting telephonically is to ensure we do not divert the attention or resources of the campus as they work to keep the campus community safe and prevent any health issues related to the H1N1 flu,” Blum said in a press release. “We thought it best to meet our legal and operational obligations and conduct the meeting by phone, without asking the campus to stretch resources better applied elsewhere during this challenging time.”

According to a press release, the decision to cancel the physical meeting was handed down by Blum and UC President Mark G. Yudof, in light of sustained efforts at both the UC San Diego campus and medical center to contain the recent swine flu outbreak in the region.

Since Regents’ meetings traditionally require numerous hours of planning and logistical support – including security, operations, transportation and technical support – officials claimed canceling the meeting was in the best interest of UC San Diego campus.

The revised agenda will include the appointment of two new chancellors for the UC Davis and UC San Francisco campuses, as well as calls for action on proposals regarding a possible 9.3 percent increase in student fees, the budget for the UC Office of the President and the appointment of a vice chancellor for system-wide human resources.

Additional discussion items include possible salary reductions in lieu of the state budget crisis, an update on potential furloughs and an annual report on senior management compensation.