George Kieffer

Beginning their terms as the UC system emerged from the financial crisis of 2008 and ending amid a pandemic, George Kieffer and Charlene Zettel retired from the UC Board of Regents in March after a 12-year career.

On its final day of virtual meetings this week, the UC Board of Regents discussed university donations, alternatives to college entrance exams and the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At its virtual meeting Wednesday, the UC Board of Regents discussed allocations of state general funds and sustainable practices.

The UC Board of Regents amended the investigation policy for reviewing allegations of UC regent misconduct May 21, following an investigation into sexual harassment allegations raised against UC Regent George Kieffer in November 2019, which have since been cleared.

The UC Board of Regents makes decisions that impact every UC student’s life — determining student tuition, approving campus developments, setting the UC system’s budget and more — yet most students across the system do not know who the regents are.

The UC Student Association is calling for a new misconduct policy for the regents after Regent George Kieffer was publicly accused of sexual harassment.

Rebecca Ora, a UC Santa Cruz graduate student, accused UC Regent George Kieffer of sexual harassment at the UC Board of Regents meeting Wednesday, more than a year after she filed a formal report. 

After six years in office, UC President Janet Napolitano announced that she will step down from her position effective Aug. 1, 2020.

The UC Board of Regents ended the pilot program for the position of student adviser at Thursday's meeting, held at UCSF Mission Bay. The board also called for increased collaboration between the UC Office of the President and individual campuses.

On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced a $209-billion state budget proposal that allocates $1.4 billion to the UC, CSU and community college systems.