A new Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Work-Life Balance for ladder faculty starts meeting this month. Cristina González, senior advisor to the chancellor, will chair the group.

In his charge to the committee, Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef stressed that the nation was facing dramatic social and demographic changes and that Davis faculty reflected these changes. "Facilitating balance between academic work and personal life will enhance our ability to recruit and retain talented faculty members. More importantly, it is, in these days and times, simply the right thing to do. It will strengthen our sense of community and improve our campus."

The committee plans to submit its report to the chancellor by May 15. It will review and make recommendations on specific ladder-faculty issues, such as circumstances appropriate for stopping the clock on faculty pre- and post-tenure merits and promotions and policies concerning leave and active service or modified duties for faculty caring for children, partners and parents.

The work of peer institutions will be examined, but González said she is pleased that Vanderhoef also wants the group to do "what we must do to become leaders in this area."

Members include: Linda Bisson, committee on Academic Personnel; Ann Bonham, medical pharmacology; Judy Callis, molecular and cell bi-ology; Anupam Chander, law; Barbara Horwitz, Office of the Provost; Barbara Merino, school of education; Motohico Mulase, mathematics; David Simpson, English; Binnie Singh, Office of Aca-demic Personnel; Tom Young, civil and environmental engineering; and Diane Wolf, sociology.

For more details, call (530) 754-7988, e-mail crigonzalez@ucdavis.edu or see http:// worklifebalance.ucdavis.edu/ladderfaculty/.