Welcome to the Division of Academic Affairs
The Division of Academic Affairs facilitates the educational and research impact of UC's 10 campuses – focusing, channeling and building on their energy, their entrepreneurship and their academic strength to enhance UC's prestigious reputation worldwide.
Academic Affairs works to sustain academic excellence by helping recruit and retain outstanding professors. We promote the faculty's interests by protecting its academic freedom; working with external agencies to minimize burdensome regulations; and providing the resources the campuses need for research and teaching. We manage $100 million in programs and grants for research that help position UC and California as engines of economic development in the world. We offer programs that increase student access to the university's superb education. And we ensure public accountability by reporting annually on UC's progress toward its goals.
Through these accomplishments, the Division provides crucial support for the entire spectrum of the UC educational path — from application to graduation and beyond — and by doing so it makes its impact felt not only on UC campuses, but across all of California and throughout the world.
Areas of Responsibility
The Provost's Immediate Office includes the Provost's Chief of Staff who works closely with the Department deputies and staff to carry out the Division's work; a Budget Coordinator who helps manage the finances of all parts of the Division; the systemwide Diversity Coordinator; and a small staff to assist the Provost and the Departments. The Provost and the Departments collaborate with the other Divisions at the Office of the President to achieve the most efficient and effective ways of helping campuses manage their academic responsibilities.
Our Academic Personnel Department coordinates policies regarding academic freedom and responsibilities, compensation, and promotion; strives to enhance faculty and student diversity; teams with Human Resources in negotiations with union-represented academic employees; and manages a systemwide postdoctoral fellowship and new faculty program.
Our Academic Planning and Program Coordination Department assists the President and Provost (along with Institutional Research) in evaluation of and planning for systemwide activities around student enrollment, degree achievement, academic program development; and in managing systemwide academic initiatives including the California Digital Library, Education Abroad Program, UC Press, UCDC (the University's program in Washington), and UCCS (UC Center in Sacramento).
The Education Partnerships Department manages and evaluates a variety of high school student and teacher preparation programs including funding from a number of external sources; and consults, along with Student Affairs, with the Community Colleges of California and the California State University systems to enhance accessibility of university degrees to students.
Our Office of Research and Graduate Studies coordinates system-wide policies for research including technology transfer and intellectual property, and for academic graduate students including diversity efforts. It manages a complex research portfolio of competitively-awarded grants including specially funded programs in breast cancer, tobacco-related illnesses, and HIV/AIDS, as well as multicampus and individual grants.
The Student Affairs Department maintains UC's admissions process and portal for all the campuses; oversees student financial aid policies throughout the system; and works closely with California's community colleges and high schools on courses and criteria for admission to UC.