General
The President of the University has delegated to the Provost and Executive Vice President—Academic Affairs, with the assistance and advice of the Universitywide UC Nature Advisory Committee, responsibility for the overall operation and development of UC Nature. The Provost and Executive Vice President—Academic Affairs, in turn, administers through the Executive Director of UC Nature.
Individual reserves in UC Nature are assigned for management purposes to the nearest campus, unless considerations other than geographic proximity prevail. The Chancellors of the nine general campuses, with the assistance and advice of Campus UC Nature Advisory Committees, are responsible for the management and day-to-day operation of the reserves assigned to their campuses. Staff assistance is provided by campus-designated UC Nature administrative officers, faculty reserve managers, career reserve managers, and reserve stewards. Personnel involved in management and operation of reserves are employed through campus personnel services and report through campus channels. Reserve administrative and management personnel on campuses are assisted and advised by Reserve Management Advisory Committees.
Universitywide UC Nature Advisory Committee
The Universitywide UC Nature Advisory Committee is appointed by the President of the University and is composed of the following:
- Chair (faculty representative)
- Campus Representatives (one from each campus; faculty or academic staff)
- Six at-large members, including:
- two reserve managers representatives
- one campus administrators representative
- two reserve steward representatives
- two at-large members (one of which is the past Chair, if possible)
- Ex Officio: Provost and Executive Vice President—Academic Affairs or his/her designate (Executive Director, UC Nature)
(In addition, a non-voting reserve managers representative alternate and a non-voting stewards representative alternate serve for one year and vote when a representative reserve manager or steward is absent.)
The Universitywide UC Nature Advisory Committee assists and advises the President (acting through the President’s designate, the Provost and Executive Vice President—Academic Affairs) in the operation and development of UC Nature. The Committee:
- guides the system to ensure compliance with the UC Nature mission, guiding principles, and core values;
- evaluates, from a University-wide perspective, proposals submitted by campus UC Nature committees;
- reviews and endorses systemwide UC Nature policies and guidelines;
- makes specific recommendations concerning acquisition, management, review, and decommissioning of sites;
- maintains contact with the scientific community within and outside the University; and
- advises the President on general policy and use of the System.
Office of the Executive Director, UC Nature
Under the direction of the President and the Vice President for Research and Innovation, the office of the UC Nature Executive Director, known as the UC Nature Systemwide Office, carries out centralized, core UC Nature functions, as well as provides ongoing administrative support to UC Nature campuses and reserves.
Centralized functions
- represents the University as Trustee Agency for UC Nature reserves, under the California Environmental Quality Act
- develops Universitywide UC Nature policies, guidelines, and manuals
- represents the system through a unified publications program and website
- develops and runs academic programs using the reserves (e.g., Mathias Graduate Student Research Grants, California Ecology and Conservation Systemwide Course)
- develops systemwide research programs
- coordinates the acquisition of new reserves and 10-year reserve reviews
- coordinates Universitywide UC Nature budget proposals
- preserves the archival value of the work at UC Nature reserves by providing coordinated information technology systems for:
- uniform scientific metadata management
- bibliographic data management
- online Reserve Application Management System (RAMS)
- compiles systemwide data on use, finances, productivity, and vital statistics of reserves
- develops and coordinates fundraising campaigns and grant proposals
- monitors legislation and private/governmental programs relevant to UC Nature
Administrative support functions
- provides analysis, negotiation, and document preparation for legal, real estate, environmental, risk management, and business matters and provides liaison with relevant UCOP units
- provides staff services to the Universitywide UC Nature Advisory Committee
- prepares and presents UC Nature issues to the University’s Board of Regents
- participates in the development of capital improvements on the reserves
- coordinates management planning for the reserves
- funds and participates in the annual Management Workshop
- allocates systemwide resources available to UC Nature
- acts as a clearinghouse of information regarding UC Nature
Campus UC Nature administrative officers
Campus UC Nature administrative officers are appropriate academic administrators appointed by and reporting to the respective Chancellors or their designates to serve as the focal point for UC Nature activities at the campus level. For all the reserves or reserve clusters assigned to that campus, the UC Nature administrative officer oversees programmatic planning, fiscal management, preparation of annual reports, budget proposals, and maintenance and improvement programs, and, consistent with the Universitywide UC Nature mission, policies and guidelines, provides overall policy direction for operation of reserves. Many of these tasks are often assigned to campus UC Nature advisory committee chairs, faculty reserve managers, or career reserve managers.
Campus UC Nature advisory committees
The campus UC Nature advisory committees, which are appointed by the respective Chancellors or their designates, ordinarily include a chair, a vice-chair, the advisory committee chairs, and faculty managers of individual reserves assigned to the campus. In some cases, chairmanship is shared between two co-chairs. Efforts should be made to obtain representation from a variety of disciplines. It is recommended that student representation be included.
Campus committees make recommendations to their Chancellors or their designates and to the Universitywide UC Nature Advisory Committee concerning potential additions to the system and the management and use of reserves assigned to the campus. They also review the activities of the reserve management committees, submit an annual activity report to the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designate, and assume whatever other appropriate responsibilities are assigned by the Chancellor or their designate.
Faculty reserve managers
A faculty reserve manager for each reserve or reserve cluster is appointed by the respective Chancellors or their designates in consultation with the campus UC Nature advisory committee. The faculty reserve manager may also hold another University administrative position, e.g., departmental chair or director of an organized research unit. Separate remuneration, if any, for the duties of faculty reserve manager, such as a stipend or released time, is at the discretion of the Chancellor.
The faculty reserve manager, with the advice of the management advisory committee, is responsible for operating and maintaining the reserve or reserve cluster in accord with the mission, purposes and policies of UC Nature and the policies adopted by the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designate. Faculty reserve managers report to and may be assigned some of the responsibilities of the campus UC Nature administrative officer.
Management advisory committees
A management advisory committee for each reserve or reserve cluster is appointed by the respective Chancellors or their designates in consultation with the campus UC Nature advisory committee. In some instances, the campus UC Nature advisory committee itself, a subcommittee of the campus committee, or an existing University committee may be designated as a management advisory committee. The chair of the campus UC Nature advisory committee and the faculty manager of the reserve serve as ex-officio members.
The management advisory committee recommends to the campus UC Nature administrative officer a management plan for the reserve, amendments to the management plan as required, budget proposals, and otherwise advises, as appropriate, the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designate, campus UC Nature administrative officer, campus UC Nature advisory committee, and faculty reserve manager on the overall management and use of the reserve.
Career reserve managers
Typically, management of a reserve or reserve cluster involves duties too extensive to be carried by a faculty reserve manager along with other faculty responsibilities. In most cases, a career reserve manager should be designated. The need for a career reserve manager is most pressing for reserves or reserve clusters with facilities requiring an on-site presence. Even so, reserves or reserve clusters without significant built facilities will also require a career reserve manager if the level of use activity is high or the management problems are complex and time-consuming.
The career reserve manager may be either a staff or academic position and may require an advanced degree. Under the University’s current Career Tracks job classification series, career reserve manager positions fall within the Field Research Job Function.
The duties assigned to a career reserve manager may include any and all of those described above for a faculty reserve manager. The career reserve manager reports to the faculty reserve manager; however, in some instances, where the role of the faculty reserve manager has become primarily advisory, the career reserve manager reports to the campus UC Nature administrative officer.
Reserve stewards
Reserve stewards may be appointed to reserves or reserve clusters requiring full, part-time, or seasonal staff support for facilities maintenance, basic operation, or surveillance and security. Reserve stewards are needed generally for reserves located too far from a campus to utilize regular campus maintenance or security personnel. In some cases, it may be necessary for reserve stewards to reside on-site.
Since requirements for this position vary widely with different conditions on various reserves, many existing staff personnel classification series can be appropriate. Reserve stewards report to the faculty reserve manager or, if designated, the career reserve manager.