New Grounds From the Ground Up

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SPOTLIGHT: RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES

This spotlight appeared in Business Officer Magazine, September 2005

As vice chancellor for administration at the University of California–Merced, Lindsay Desrochers will make history next month when California’s 10th research university opens. The Merced campus will enroll more than 900 undergraduate students, joining the graduate students and faculty who have already signed on. In the midst of preparations this summer, Desrochers spoke with Marta Perez Drake, director, constituent services, research universities and comprehensive/doctoral institutions, at NACUBO.

What experiences from previously held positions prepared you for your responsibilities at Merced?
Most of my career has been with the UC system. I spent time in the California legislature and worked for nine years in the system budget office gaining experience with physical planning and capital budgets. I was an American Council on Education presidential fellow, and was later recruited to Portland State University as vice president of finance and administration. From there, I served the Georgia state system as senior vice chancellor for capital resources and joined Merced in 2000.

What attracted you to Merced and a project of this scope?
UC is my mother ship! I knew this project was on the books, but I wasn’t sure if it would happen. I was recruited because of my broad experiences. My familiarity with Sacramento politics and the UC system were also valuable.

Which aspects of your planning are unique to a research university?
From the beginning we decided that if Merced was going to be a viable research university, it would have to have a comparable mission to other research universities. The chancellor made the strategic decision to start with recruitment of key research faculty and graduate students, followed by enrollment of undergraduates. We believed we would be handicapped if we started with undergraduates only. First, not establishing scope would make it harder to make the case for the necessary upfront resources. Second, we would not be seen as a peer by other research universities. Third, starting at a lower academic level would lead to struggles with space constraints and other research expansion issues. All along the way, the focus was on developing a recruitment strategy encompassing undergraduates, graduates, and faculty.

Are there specific things you have done differently because this will be a research university?
There has been a big effort on the part of the academic leadership (deans, vice chancellor, and chancellor) to develop this institution with a more cross-cutting approach—using a scientific team model rather than the traditional departmental structure. We have a lot of crossover faculty who have appointments in many divisions. We believe that “hyper-departmentalism” leads to a lack of creative energy. In my role, I have been sensitive to this approach and have consciously built generic laboratory space that can be used by the greatest number of faculty. Also, we are not just constructing buildings, we are building an organization.

What lessons have you learned?
It’s been an interesting five years. Lots of challenges—environmental disputes, state budget cuts, the economic bust of the dot coms, a gubernatorial recall—but through it all we have had community support and four different governors endorse this, something we worked hard to achieve. I would never underestimate planning for the political support that is necessary to develop a project like this. Similar to a start-up operation, we are constantly selling our concept to investors, funders, representatives from the local and state governments, and the surrounding community.