Pacific regents back university president who is recently under fire

STOCKTON — Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Huber stated Wednesday that the governing body “strongly and unequivocally” supports University of the Pacific President Pamela Eibeck, whose firing has been called for recently by some of the institution’s students and faculty members.

Huber’s letter says Eibeck “has led with tremendous success and remains committed to ensuring our students receive a superior education and our university has a robust future.”

About 200 students, frustrated by steadily increasing tuition combined with budget cuts, rallied against Eibeck two weeks ago outside a Board of Regents meeting. Meanwhile, faculty leaders at the university’s campuses in Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco have prepared a resolution of “no confidence” in the 61-year-old Eibeck.

Alleging a history of “ineffective leadership, financial mismanagement and a lack of fiscal transparency,” the faculty resolution calls for the firing of Eibeck, who has served as president since 2009. The full faculty is scheduled to vote on the resolution today through Sunday, according to a staff member who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution.

Students who participated in the Oct. 18 campus rally said they are frustrated by regular tuition hikes that have been concurrent with budget cuts by the university.

Tuition this academic year is $48,264. With room, board and other expenses, the total cost is an estimated $66,503. According to the university, 90 percent of Pacific students receive financial aid averaging $28,000 a year.

In his letter Wednesday, Huber writes, “After hearing student concerns, the board voted to reduce the undergraduate tuition increase for the 2019-20 academic year to 3 percent from the initially proposed 3.2 percent. Although this is the smallest percentage increase in 10 years, we understand that this increase impacts students and their families, and we are exploring alternatives to our current tuition practices.”

The letter continues, “Today we all face challenges that are impacting colleges and universities nationwide — higher financial aid and operational costs, unpredictable enrollments, and the need to pay competitive salaries.

“We are responding with a plan that includes ensuring we spend less than our revenues (living within our means) while improving compensation for our faculty and staff, maintaining high academic standards, and creating innovative programs and services for our students.”