As indicated in the introduction, the University serves the State primarily through the excellence of its teaching and research. That is not to say that either teaching or research agendas should be the result of State mandates. To the contrary, as one of the major institutions of higher education in the world, teaching and research in the University of California must embrace subject matter and concerns that go far beyond State borders, including the pursuit of seemingly useless knowledge "for its own sake." But at the same time the University has a special mission with regard to both intellectual and practical matters related to the State of California, its peoples and its problems. California history and the development of agricultural technology appropriate to California farming are two obvious examples. The role of the diverse population in California's history and future is another.

In teaching, as in research, the expanded coverage of Hispanic issues is only part of the goal; the full participation of Hispanics in all aspects of the University's teaching and research programs is also essential. Understandably, many Hispanic faculty and students will be drawn to study of their own community. But it should neither be expected nor encouraged that Hispanics confine themselves to Hispanic studies. Those Hispanics interested in the pursuit of Hispanic (including Latin American) studies should be encouraged and helped to do so. But the University has the obligation, and perhaps the more difficult task, of insuring that Hispanic and other minority students have access to and are encouraged to enter all major fields of study. As Hispanics become the largest single segment of the State's workforce, it becomes increasingly essential that they are well-represented in professional and managerial occupations outside the University, as well as in all areas of research and teaching within the University. Many of us are tired of hearing about the importance of "role models." Yet, however hackneyed the phrase, it does continue to express something very important. The University needs to show the Hispanic youth of the State that there is a place for them, and for their culture, within the University. This is done not by having a few particularly visible Hispanic administrators and faculty constantly on public view. Rather, it is done by accomplishing the full integration of Hispanics into the faculty and managerial staff, and the incorporation of Hispanic topics into the University's teaching and research agenda, as part of the broader institutionalization of diversity.

The participants in the teaching process are as important as the subjects taught. In recent years the University has seen increases in the number and proportion of Chicano and Hispanic students entering as freshmen. In part this is the result of University outreach activities, about which the University is justifiably proud. But it must be recognized that these increases also are linked to demographic trends. Whatever the relative importance of demographic as opposed to programmatic factors, the significant fact is that it is at the level of entering freshmen that the onda latina, the Latin wave, is visible.

Their curricular needs will become increasingly important. One aspect of those needs will be the study of their culture. (In a sense, this is a part of the growing demand of minorities from various regions of the world to include their cultures in the University curriculum. That is, in the Committee's view, a desirable trend which will transform UC into an institution with a world-wide perspective.)

One way to address the multicultural needs of UC students is to integrate ethnic and non-Western courses and materials into the required curriculum. Another, and from an institutional perspective the most important, is to expand interdisciplinary ethnic studies programs and area studies programs. Although the University of California has been among the leaders in developing Latin American and Chicano studies programs, support has declined in recent years. On campus visits the Committee was not impressed with the miserly support these programs received. At one of the campuses, the Latin American studies program was in severe decline; at another, ethnic studies programs were threatened with extinction; and at another they did not exist. Although some faculty at all these campuses strongly supported Latin American and Chicano studies programs, they found little support either from other faculty or from their administrations.

There are several reasons for the decline of Chicano and Latin American studies programs. Many Chicano studies programs originated under the pressure of student ferment of the late 60s and early 70s. Until recently, many administrators and non-Chicano faculty assumed that interest in such programs had waned and that they could be reduced or eliminated with impunity. There was also the belief that such programs, which have never been fully accepted by mainstream faculty, were not academically sound. Sadly and ironically, this occurred at the very time that a new generation of professional Chicano scholars emerged and was creating a distinct and academically distinguished interdisciplinary field of study. Similarly, Latin American studies appeared no longer important as other world areas, especially the Pacific Rim. became fashionable. When both the foundations and the federal government expressed other interests, the University followed suit. This occurred despite the fact that the University of California possessed some of the most distinguished Latin Americanists in the nation. The decline in "interest" in Chicano and Latin American studies did not mean either that students were not interested or that those areas of study were no longer of critical importance. Rather, it was an example of the limited attention span of the foundations and the federal government. The failure of the University to strengthen those programs, at a time when outside funding declined, is surely an example of lack of vision. The University, after all, should set the standards -- not follow them. For teaching programs, it has meant instability and reduced course offerings as faculty who depart or retire are not replaced and as critical gaps are never filled. This is a tendency which must be reversed, not only because of the intrinsic importance of these fields, but also because the University is likely to find outstanding Hispanic faculty specializing in those areas.

Finally, the Committee believes that the University must expand its role in the training of California's K-12 teachers and administrators. Schools of Education and Teacher Education programs appear to hold a low status in the University. But UC programs which train California's teachers are an essential resource of the State, and one which can positively influence the quality of the University's future students. UC's teacher education curriculum needs to prepare Hispanic and other teachers to respond effectively to the needs of Hispanic students in primary and secondary schools.