The UC Academic Council-the administrative arm of the systemwide Academic Senate-voted Tuesday to request that a commission aimed at shaping the future of the university be expanded.

The request comes after many expressed concern that the Commission on the Future of UC did not include enough faculty from diverse disciplines.

The council is asking UC President Mark Yudof to request that the UC Board of Regents appoint three more faculty members to the 20-member commission, as well as the incoming vice chair of the Academic Senate, said Mary Croughan, chair of the

systemwide Academic Senate.

"The request is to add more faculty with experience from humanities, social sciences, physical science and expertise in undergraduate education," Croughan said.

UC spokesperson Steve Montiel said Yudof will not issue a comment on the vote until next week.

Christopher Kutz, vice chair of the Berkeley division of the Academic Senate, said that including faculty members from other departments is crucial to represent the breadth of the university.

"The committee needs to have members that include faculty drawn from humanities," Kutz said. "The current membership is heavily weighted towards regents and administrators of professional schools."

Regents Chair Russell Gould launched the commission after the regents meeting in July.

It will look at new educational

models, the appropriate size of the university and new sources of revenue for the university.

"(The commission will) develop a vision for the future of the university that will reaffirm our role in sustaining California's economy and cultural life while recognizing that our limited state resources require us to be creative and strategic in meeting that mission," Gould said in a letter to the regents.

The committee currently includes UC faculty from the health sciences, law and engineering fields, as well as several regents and chancellors from across the university system.

"If the committee is going to do what it says it's going to do, it ... needs a broader range of experience," Kutz said.

Croughan and Henry Powell, vice chair of the Academic Senate, are two of the faculty members on the commission.

"We are both health science faculty so we don't give broad experience on the undergraduate side," Croughan said.

Croughan said she is unsure if all the requested faculty will be appointed.

"I think having one or two faculty on board is highly likely," she added.

UC spokespeople did not provide a comment as of press time.

Student Regent Jesse Bernal said the commission will be discussing several issues, including student fees and financial aid, when it meets for the first time at the next regents' meeting in early September.

"Should we have more Internet-based classes, should we have an online school? Those are questions we will be asking," Bernal said.

Bernal said he and Student Regent- Designate Jesse Cheng would be creating a commission comprised of 25 former and current student leaders to advise them.

The committee will include at least one representative from each campus and will meet twice a month.

"(The student commission) will be having the same conversation that the broader commission will be having," he added.

Tags: UC PRESIDENT MARK YUDOF, UC COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE, REGENT RUSSELL GOULD