Chancellor George Blumenthal appointed Allison Galloway to the position of executive vice chancellor (CP/EVC) Sept. 16. Galloway enters the position at a fiscally challenging time for UC Santa Cruz.
Blumenthal selected Galloway and she was subsequently approved by the UC Regents. Galloway succeeds David Kliger, who stepped down after a five-year term as CP/EVC. He has returned to his former position as chemistry and biochemistry professor.
Galloway has previously served in several administration positions at UCSC, including University Extension (UE), a program that required extensive budget restructuring. This year is the first time in over a decade that UE will be filing no deficit.
As CP/EVC, Galloway is responsible for academic and administrative operation of the campus, including budget planning. Since her appointment, Galloway has met with the departments on campus and made it a priority to grant more teaching assistantships and make classes more accessible for students, she said.
“That’s probably the [complaint] I hear the most, that classes are too full,” Galloway said. “We gave extra money to the divisions at the beginning and end of spring quarter with the contingency that they increase capacity.”
The school does not plan to cut any programs within the coming year, she said, though planning for the future of the community studies program is ongoing. Despite the failure of both the UC Regents and the state to release their budgets, UCSC is prepared for the potential outcomes, she said.
“Even if the state budget for education is less than we expected, we will not be taking back money from any of the departments,” Galloway said.
Galloway emphasized the importance of maintaining open communication with the university community.
“I want to bring a lot of communication and honesty to the position,” she said. “When people understand why a decision is made, they accept it a lot easier.”
In addition to managing university funds, Galloway will also manage day-to-day university administrative duties. Former CP/EVC Kliger was often the target of media attention and student action. Though Galloway said she will “definitely be the enemy” at times, she will attend the day of action to defend public education on Oct. 7.
“We all need to defend public education,” Galloway said. “It’s not the responsibility of one or the other.”
Though it is hard to hear news of the difficulties UC campuses face, Galloway said, working at UCSC makes her optimistic for the future of public education.
“The faculty, students and staff — they bring in the best minds and encourage great work,” she said. “That gives me hope and is something that has to be defended.”
