After ten years of service Brian Copenhaver, the head of UCLA’s largest college, will step down from his role in administration to return to teaching this June.
Copenhaver, provost of the College of Letters & Sciences, made his decision public last Friday, to the surprise of some and disappointment of many. In a letter to the campus he attributed his choice to a personal desire to “attend more to teaching and learning.”
“A big piece of me loves (being provost), another piece of me wants solitude ... that side of me doesn’t get as much attention anymore,” Copenhaver said.
This summer, after 26 years in academic leadership at four universities, Copenhaver said he began to think about attending more to the side of him that wants solitude.
The College of Letters & Science is the largest single academic unit in the entire University of California, with an enrollment of more than 23,000. The College is made of five divisions – humanities, life sciences, physical sciences, social sciences and honors.
During Copenhaver’s two terms as provost the College has seen many changes.
Copenhaver helped in the areas of undergraduate education, fundraising, and fostering relationships with the School of Medicine, but added “there is still room for improvement.”
Many average undergraduate students at UCLA, whether they know it or not, benefit from Copenhaver’s initiatives every day. He introduced general education clusters, fiat lux seminars, Sept. 11 seminars and a more stringent writing requirement to the college during his terms.
Copenhaver said since he has been at UCLA, technology has had the largest impact on education, noting a shift from a time when most students didn’t have personal computers to recent years when they have become a “part and parcel of life.”
Copenhaver incorporated this change into university life by helping UCLA become the first major university to have a separate course Web page for every class, said press aid Harlan Lebo.
John Sandbrook, assistant provost in the College of Letters & Sciences, said Copenhaver has faced many challenges successfully such as rebuilding the faculty in the early 1990s and rescheduling classes after the Northridge earthquake put Haines and Royce Halls out of commission.
“He is the glue that holds it all together,” Sandbrook said.
Overall Copenhaver said he is leaving the college in a strong position, with the exception of some financial problems. Funding graduate education, improving the quality of the library, and increasing space for faculty are three challenges he said the college will face in the near future.
Chancellor Albert Carnesale said the provost’s “ability to forge a strong leadership team,” was one of his primary strengths.
Carnesale said he and others admire the way the provost, vice provosts and deans of the College of Letters & Science work together to advance common interests of the faculty and students rather than focus on bureaucratic issues. Copenhaver deserves principle credit for the teamwork, Carnesale said.
When asked if this new change in administration would lead to any other changes in the college, Carnesale said there may be minor organizational changes, but he sees no reason for major changes in the college.
“We’re proud of it,” Carnesale said.
A search committee will be put together to look for Copenhaver’s replacement. The committee will try to find the best peron for the position and will report to the chancellor with their recommendations, Carnesale said.
According to Carnesale a successor should look for a person of outstanding academic leadership, individual accomplishment, and who has vision along with the ability to care about the vision of others.
This position is very important to students and UCLA population in general because it is essential to have a strong college as a foundation for the university, Carnesale said.
As far as Copenhaver’s future, he has already started on his seventh book, “Magic and the Dignity of Man: Pico’s Oration in Cultural Memory.”
He need not worry about his career in teaching – Teofilio Ruiz, the chair of the history department at UCLA, said “We will welcome him with open arms.”
While Ruiz said he is sad to see a successful career come to an end, as the history department chair he is delighted to see a scholar of Copenhaver’s standing return to teaching.
Sandbrook enjoyed working with Copenhaver and is pleased he is doing something for himself and his family – wife Kathleen and children Rebecca and Gregory.