SAN FRANCISCO — On Tuesday, the UC Board of Regents met at the UCSF Mission Bay campus for the first part of a two-day meeting to discuss fiscal and policy-related topics related to the UC.
The Committee on Grounds and Buildings met after a brief closed session to discuss and ultimately approve the design for the UC Irvine Medical Center Henry H. Chao Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center. The center will be located in Orange, California, and provide outpatient diagnostic services and treatment to patients with digestive disorders.
The regents then voted to approve the budget and the external financing for the proposed Meyer And Renee Luskin Conference and Guest Center in the heart of UCLA’s campus. The Luskin Center will occupy 294,000 gross square feet, and include a conference center, a parking garage with 125 spaces, a catering kitchen to replace an older facility and improvements to nearby traffic infrastructure.
The center will be funded by both a $40 million donation from Meyer and Renee Luskin and $112 million in external financing.
While discussing an update to the university’s capital program, Vice President of Budget and Capital Resources Patrick Lenz said the decline in state funding in recent years has led to a backlog in capital projects the university needs to address, including several buildings in need of seismic renovation.
One of the buildings mentioned is Tolman Hall at UC Berkeley. According to the related agenda item, the building is in need of a seismic replacement, a project that totals $186.8 million. Part of the building was closed off to students and faculty last year due to its poor seismic rating.
During the Committee on Compliance and Audit, the regents approved the UC’s Internal Audit Plan for 2012-13 and the Ethics and Compliance Program Plan for 2012-13.
Wednesday’s agenda items and committee meetings are expected to see considerably more debate, as the regents discuss the endorsement of Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative on the November ballot that, if passed, would help the UC stave off a 20 percent mid-year tuition increase.
UC students and workers are planning on protesting budget cuts to several programs and the possible tuition increase by staging a zombie takeover during the 8:30 a.m. public comment period.
Staff writers Sophie Mattson, Karishma Mehrotra and Dylan Tokar contributed to this report.
Adelyn Baxter is the news editor.
Staff writers Sophie Mattson, Karishma Mehrotra and Dylan Tokar contributed to this report.
Adelyn Baxter is the news editor.
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