Uc Board

In a move that could extend the impact of his administration, lame-duck Gov. Pete Wilson named two longtime aides to the University of California Board of Regents on Tuesday. But a spokesman for state Senate leader John Burton (D-San Francisco) said it was highly unlikely that the Senate would confirm the two nominees, Joanne Kozberg and Russell Gould.

Casting herself as a peacemaker on the UC Board of Regents, Meredith J. Khachigian has been elevated by her colleagues to chairwoman of the sometimes fractious board that oversees California's elite public universities. "I don't have much hope it will be a smooth ride," said Khachigian, a public affairs consultant in San Clemente. "But at the same time, I look forward to try to soothe diverse opinions and find ways we can all work toward the same goal."

In the wake of Proposition 209's passage, 50,000 high school students who are applying this month for admission to the University of California will be evaluated without regard to race or gender. UC Provost C. Judson King issued a letter this week to the nine campus chancellors advising that--barring a court order--race, sex, color, ethnicity and national origin will no longer be factors in undergraduate admissions decisions.

Gov. Pete Wilson formally appointed his two latest nominees to the University of California Board of Regents on Thursday, setting in motion a confirmation process that could take up to a year. Gerald L.

The ACLU, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and other advocacy groups filed suit Friday against Gov. Pete Wilson and the University of California Board of Regents, alleging that Wilson violated the state open meetings act by telephoning several regents before their historic vote last summer to roll back affirmative action.

The University of California Board of Regents sidestepped a decision on a student fee increase Friday, approving a $2.7-billion funding proposal for next year that specifies only what the university needs, not how it is going to get it. Last month, UC officials had suggested that a 7.1% fee increase would be necessary next year in order to comply with a four-year compact negotiated with the governor.

When the meeting dissolved into shouts and shoves, the trustees of the most prestigious university system in the world abruptly rose from their chairs and left the room, reconvening on an upper floor far removed from the emotional crowd. There, they ended more than 12 hours of tortuous debate by closing the doors and taking the vote against affirmative action that would reverberate across the nation.

On Day 20 of the state budget impasse, Gov. Pete Wilson was talking affirmative action, a contingent of Republican legislators returned from an evening jaunt to Lake Tahoe and Democrats were holding out for a better deal. Wilson and every legislator in Sacramento insists that it is urgent that they agree on a spending plan. The constitutional deadline for approving a budget came and went July 1, leaving California without spending authority.

The University of California, long seen as perhaps the finest public university system in the nation, must not surrender its reputation when it votes Thursday on affirmative action. It must preserve a policy that, properly applied, is a key way of promoting excellence. Under the current system, UC has top-notch students. One reason is that UC administrators understand that leadership and achievement are not solely about grade point averages and SAT scores.

Ohio State University officials confirmed Monday that their president, E. Gordon Gee, has been chosen by a University of California Board of Regents committee as the nominee to be the next UC president. Malcolm S. Baroway, a spokesman for Ohio State, said he spoke to Gee over the weekend and "he verified that, yes, he has the understanding that he is the first choice of the committee."