Ellen Switkes

CSHE > People > Ellen Switkes

Ellen Switkes is Senior Associate and Co-Organizer of CSHE’s Berkeley Institute on Higher Education (BIHE), an institute targeted for higher education leaders from nations outside of the United States, focused on the essential characteristics of major research universities in the United States, with particular emphasis on the University of California as a case study, and linking Institute programs with CSHE based policy research. 

Prior to joining the CSHE, Switkes was Assistant Vice President of Academic Advancement at University Office of the President for over 26 years, retiring as Emeritus in 2006.  While holding this position, she established a policy to extend the tenure clock for new mothers and fathers, revised policy for access to faculty records and dismissal of incompetent faculty, and developed programs to conform with changing Regents policy and state law on race and gender based admissions and employment.  Also during this time, Switkes served as Senior Manager of UC’s school improvement projects, including the California Alliance for Math and Science (the State SSI funded by NSF) and the California Subject Matter Projects (projects in nine subject areas with one hundred sites), with annual budget over $17 million.

Switkes was Assistant Professor of Chemistry at UC Santa Cruz and taught general and inorganic chemistry, women's studies (women in science), and chemistry for artists.  Her research areas were in synthetic inorganic involving sulfur bonded coordination compounds of transition metals. Switkes has also served as Acting Director of Berkeley Retirement Center and lecturer at Berkeley Graduate School of Education.

Following her retirement,  Switkes was Project Coordinator of Global Health Institute, and Higher Education Consultant for Ulibarri-Mason Global HR, LP.

Recent publications:
Kissler, G. & Switkes, E. (2006). The Effects of a changing financial context on the University of California.   In R.G. Ehrenberg (Ed.), What’s happening to public higher education (pp. 85-106). Westport, CT: Praeger.
Switkes, E. (1999). University of California peer review system and post-tenure evaluation.  Innovative Higher Education, 24 (39), 39-48.
Switkes, E. (2001). The University of California voluntary early retirement incentive programs.  In R. Clark & P.B. Hammond (Eds.) To Retire or Not (pp. 106-121). Pennsylvania, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.  
Swiktes, E. (2005). Phasing out full-time work at the University of California. In R. Clark & J. Ma (Eds.),  Recruitment, retention and retirement in higher education (pp. 252 - 258). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. 
Switkes, E. (2006). Policy Implications for University Systems.  In G. Bataille & B. Brown (Eds.), Faculty Career Paths (pp. 149-15). Westport, CT: Praeger.