UC shocker: Greenwood resigns as system provost as improper-hiring probe under way

santa cruz sentinel.com ^ | Nov. 5, 2005 | jondi gumz

[EggsAckley]

SANTA CRUZ — Former UC Santa Cruz chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood, who held the No. 2 position in the University of California system, has resigned her $380,000-a-year post in the wake of an investigation into the hirings of a colleague and her son.

UC President Robert Dynes made no mention of the resignation during his visit to Santa Cruz on Thursday and Friday for events celebrating UCSC's new chancellor, Denice Denton. The press statement from his office came via e-mail after the ceremonies.

The statement said the investigation into possible improper hiring practices and concerns about conflict of interest centers on two hiring decisions, that of biology researcher Lynda Goff and that of Greenwood's son for UC positions.

Both remain on the job.

"This in no way reflects on their credentials or their performance," said UC spokesman Michael Reese, emphasizing the university has not determined whether any wrongdoing occurred.

Goff, who had been UCSC's dean of undergraduate education, followed Greenwood to the UC President's Office, taking a job that paid $192,100. In August, she was hired for the same salary to oversee a UC project to produce 1,000 math and science teachers.

Following inquiries by the San Francisco Chronicle, Greenwood and Goff disclosed that they had, until recently, owned rental property together, according to the UC statement. Information on the location of the property was not available.

"It appears that Provost Greenwood may have been involved in Dr. Goff's hiring to a greater extent than was appropriate, given that her business investment with Dr. Goff had not been properly and fully resolved in accordance with conflict of interest requirements," the UC statement explained.

The other issue involves the process to select Greenwood's son, James Greenwood, as a paid intern at UC Merced last August.

[EggsAckley]

Ya gotta love it when they're caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

[ncountylee]

resigned her $380,000-a-year post

Oh my God....$380,000!

[stocksthatgoup]

These elites sure get paid well

[Eric in the Ozarks]

$380,000 salary ? Jeez, I knew California living was expensive. If a public employee can knock down this kind of bread, what does someone who actually produces something get ?

[ncountylee]

I think she also had a mansion with paid servants.

[heartwood]

Is this the set of lesbian partners or was there another pair in the UC system, raking in big money?

[lafroste]

Oh my God....$380,000!

Geez, that's only $32,500 a month. It's not even $10,000 a week! Why, it's less than $183 an hour. A girl's got to live afterall.

[Falconspeed]

...$380,000-a-year post

Yes, sad and confusing. The students know that the administrators in the CA university system get paid too much. The teachers know that the administrators in the CA system have a super easy job since the enrollment is growing steadily and the revenues come in regularly. The administrators are lazy, greedy, spoiled children who are ignorant of issues of higher education and find an easy job in the education industry in California which is healthy, wealthy and vibrant.

Sad and pitiful is that the students are bright and open minded and love intelligent conservative teachers but they rarily get good teachers and end up with small minded teachers hired by small minded administrators.

The Lord is in charge. Bright students and good teachers learn to deal with the lazy admins and appreciate the opportunity to study.

[BigBobber]

An acquaintance of mine had occasion to visit the UC Regents suite in Oakland. My friend is well connected and travels in high circles.

Even he was shocked and amazed at the opulence of the place. It's a latter day Versailles Palace for our humble public servants of higher education.

[CatoRenasci]

The more things change....

As the holder of three degrees from the University of California system, and a former graduate student representative to the academic senate, I can only say: y'a mean it hasn't changed (except the size of the numbers) in the past 35 years?

UC's faculty has been cut and does not have anything like the pay or perks they did 30 years ago, as budgets were cut and the like. But, our administrators continue to multiply and they continue to do less and get paid more. My father (who was class of 1929 at Berkeley) said it was even a problem THEN!

[La Enchiladita]

The salary is only the tip of the iceberg.
Consider benefits, perks, discounts, bonuses AND retirement.
Meanwhile, UC employees across the system have not received merit or cost of living raises in years...

[IndyInVa]

$182 an hour? You're making the (unlikely) assumption that she actually worked a 40 hour work week. Somehow I doubt it.

[Uncle Hal]

Yes, there is a lesbian connection here somewhere. I read it on another site. I am not sure how it all fits in. As I recall the chancellor at UCSB, was hired as well as her lesbian lover for a position in the UC system at a very high salary. A position she seemed unqualified for. Evidently it is common in the UC system to hire one person for a high position and also hire his or her signicent other as well. Whether they do this for married people I do not know.