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UC President Robert Dynes reacts during the Board of Regents’ meeting last week in Berkeley

University of California President Robert Dynes – who insists people call him “Bob” – has long sought to cultivate an image of accessibility.

During his 15 years as chancellor of UC San Diego, he headlined a “Chancellor’s Challenge” in which he ran with students to raise money for scholarships. When he visited UCLA two years ago, he did an informal run around the campus perimeter with students, faculty and staff. He met with UCLA student-leaders over breakfast in May 2004.

But last week the reputation for openness in the university he leads took a hit when the San Francisco Chronicle revealed previously unreported compensation bonuses for UC employees totalling $871 million last year. The figures were not included in a consultant’s report in September, which said UC salaries lagged behind market rates.

Now, as the leader of the university system, Dynes has pledged to do a better job disclosing pay information in the face of sharp criticism from lawmakers and UC interest groups over what they see as a lack of transparency.

“When you work for the taxpayers, perception is everything and the last thing you need to do is mislead the people who are paying the bills,” State Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, told the Chronicle. “We have had deficits for the past four years and all of a sudden you see something like this and it just makes my stomach turn.”

Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, said based on her conversations with Dynes, she believes he “recognizes the importance of transparency.”

“I think that to gain the confidence of the legislature and the public and the electorate, he’s going to have to be forthcoming about what the total compensation packages for (UC employees) are,” she said.

“I think he’s taken a few hits and has been quick to correct his course,” Speier said. “As long as he follows through I think everyone’s going to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

UC officials responded quickly to the reports, setting up an extensive Web site by the following evening with information on UC salaries and practices.

A letter on the front page from Dynes said the site is designed to help “everyone understand the broader context of the higher education market within which we operate.”

UC spokesman Paul Schwartz pointed to several actions taken by Dynes as steps toward addressing some of the criticisms, including the creation of a task force to look specifically at the issue of reporting compensation and transparency.

Asked if this was Dynes’ biggest challenge since being in office, Schwartz said the president has dealt with numerous other difficulties including budget cuts and issues at the UC-run Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Paul Hassen, assistant director of public affairs for the American Council on Education, said California’s budget situation may have contributed to the criticism and media attention given to the salary reports.

“There’s always a tension over the privacy of the employees versus the public’s right to know how their money is spent,” Hassen said.

“I think over time those issues rise and fall in terms of importance. Generally it’s when budget times are real tight people want to know how their money is being spent,” he said.