October 6, 2009

Dear Colleagues:

       The University of California faces its most profound crises in many decades. The excellence and integrity of the UC system itself is under attack. It will not be resolved by furloughs, fee hikes, cutbacks, departmental consolidations or other austerity-generated expedients.

            To chart a progressive and constructive road forward for our university, a broad coalition of UCSB faculty, students, and staff have organized an all-day series of lectures, panels, and workshops under the thematic "Defending the University: A 'Teach-In' on the Current Crisis."  The event will be held in Campbell Hall on the afternoon and evening of October 14 in Campbell, beginning at 2:30 p.m..

            The aims of the "teach-in" are both pedagogical and political, designed to educate ourselves and the broader public about the historical, political, and ideological origins and consequences of the crisis in higher education in our state. Speakers and panelists at the event will move beyond current preoccupation with budgetary shortfalls and immediate crisis management and instead open a debate about a strategy for restoring California's commitment to the highest quality education, accessible to all.

            Among the keynote speakers are Professor George Lakoff, the distinguished UC Berkeley linguist who has published widely on how contemporary political discourse can be reframed in a progressive fashion; Senator Loni Hancock, who will explain how the political stalemate in Sacramento can be broken; Professor Stan Glantz of UC San Francisco, whose chairmanship of the all-UC Committee on Planning and Budget convinced him that top administrators at the University have all to often caved in to pressure from governors, both Democratic and Republican;  Ruth Gilmore of the University of Southern California, who argues that the explosive growth of the California prison complex robs UC of vitally needed funds; Nelson Lichtenstein, the UCSB historian, who examines the political and social ideas that animated Clark Kerr's vision for higher education in our state; and Lenny Goldberg of the California Tax Reform Association, who offers a critical analysis of the California tax system;. In addition, more than a dozen other student leaders, staff unionists, office holders, and academics will speak, either at the plenary in Campbell Hall or in one of several additional workshops.

            We ask you to endorse this important event and urge faculty, staff, and student members of your department to attend and participate. A draft speaker schedule is attached.

                                    Sincerely,

                                    Mark Srednicki, Chair, Department of Physics

                                    Eileen Boris, Chair, Feminist Studies

                                    John Majewski, Chair, History

                                    Verta Taylor, Chair, Sociology

                                    Giles Gunn, Chair, Global and International Studies

                                    Jeffery Stewart, Chair, Black Studies

                                    Lisa Parks, Chair, Film and Media Studies    

                                    Elizabeth Weber, Chair, German, Slavic and Semitic Studies

                                    Diane Fujino, Chair, Asian American Studies

                                    Juan Vicente Palerm, Chair, Chicana and Chicano Studies

                                    Howard Winant, Chair, Law and Society

PS  For additional information contact Nelson Lichtenstein at nelson@history.ucsb.edu Websites for current information and Schedule of Speakers:  http://uptesb.org