UCI Chancellor Finds Time for His 2 Loves

The professor, impeccably dressed in a gray suit, white shirt and blue tie, wasted no time in getting the 9 a.m. social sciences class off and running.

“If this were a course on the English constitution, we could go through the course without mentioning a court decision,” the professor said. “But there is hardly anything in American political science in which we don’t talk about a court decision. Why are the courts so important? Did the framers (of the U.S. Constitution) intend it that way?”

Springboard for Discussion

With these questions as a springboard, the professor, Jack Peltason, launched a recent class at the UC Irvine.

Questions popped like buckshot from Peltason as he strolled back and forth in front of the blackboard. Students responded, often with counter-questions. U.S. constitutional history from 1787 to 1987 suddenly came alive.

A visitor might have been struck by the lively discussion. But something else was different about this class. Jack Peltason, chief executive of the University of California, Irvine, was doing classroom duty as a professor.

As chancellor of the 14,000-student campus, the 63-year-old Peltason most often spends his hours holding weighty budget sessions, planning academic growth and development or otherwise supervising a mini-city of students, faculty and support staff.

Lectures on Constitution

But this semester Peltason is also devoting some of his time to teaching. In tandem with social science professor Mark Petracca, the chancellor is lecturing on “The Promise and Performance of the U. S. Constitution: A Bicentennial Assessment.”

Peltason says it is a labor of love because he enjoys being with students and discussing the U. S. Constitution.

Peltason is, in fact, a nationally recognized constitutional scholar.

“Jack Peltason was already a gifted scholar in political science when he became an administrator at an early age,” said David J. Danelski, dean of faculty and vice president for academic affairs at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Danelski said he has known Peltason for 29 years. “I first met him in 1959 when we were both teaching at the University of Illinois,” Danelski said. “Jack’s classes at Urbana were so popular that I was assigned to teach his overflow. He’s not only a wonderful person, with a great sense of humor, but he’s also one of the nationally prominent political scientists in the field of constitutional law. He brings something different to his teaching about the Constitution because he relates how it’s part of the political process.”

University of California officials in Berkeley said it is unusual for a chancellor to teach a course, mainly because chancellors have so little free time. “It’s been done before by some chancellors on other UC campuses, so it’s not unique, but it is unusual,” said a UC system spokesman.

Author of Texts

Peltason is the author of two political science texts that focus on constitutional law. One, “Government by the People,” which he co-authored with two colleagues, is currently in its 12th edition. The second, “Understanding the Constitution,” is now in its 10th edition.

Peltason said that this is the first semester he has been able to teach since coming to UC Irvine as new chancellor in September, 1984.

During a class Thursday morning, Peltason repeatedly reminded the students that political decisions affect the Constitution. Most notably, he said, are presidential appointments to the Supreme Court. For it is the high court, Peltason noted, that ultimately determines what the Constitution allows and doesn’t allow.

“The question of who gets selected for the court is very, very important,” Peltason said. “It used to be a general fiction in America that it doesn’t matter who the judges are, since they supposedly only are guided by the laws. But it does make a difference. Presidents have always been interested in the in the constitutional views of judges. It is not quite fair to say that judges are legislators in judicial robes, but it is fair to say that judges are part of the political process.”

Made No Secret

Peltason added: “Ronald Reagan made no secret (while campaigning for President) that ‘if you pick me, I will pick judges who will reflect my political values.’ And Walter Mondale equally made it no secret that he was saying ‘don’t elect him (Reagan) because he’ll select conservative judges who will overturn important decisions.’ ”

Peltason noted that some Presidents pick judicial activists for the Supreme Court who will broadly interpret the law. Other Presidents, said Peltason, want “strict constructionists,” persons who will narrowly interpret the law.

“It’s fair to say that many Presidents have been disappointed about their choices after they’ve been named to the Supreme Court,” Peltason added with a wry smile.

After class, students praised Peltason as a teacher. “It’s a fun class,” said Michael Golsby, 20, of Garden Grove. “He (Peltason) doesn’t intimidate me at all; I ask him questions all the time.”

Added Isaac Cohen, 19, of Huntington Beach:

“He’s very open to the students, and he likes to get involved with the students in the class. He frequently asks questions of the students, letting himself be challenged. You can tell he likes what he’s doing.”

The Only View

During the class, Peltason doesn’t indicate either a liberal or conservative viewpoint in his discussion of the Constitution. In an interview later, he said, “I’m a critic of some professors who think their view is the only view . I’m more interested as a political scientist in getting people to understand how this wonderful political system (under the Constitution) operates.

”. . . I believe (the Constitution) is constantly being changed. It really is a living document. It does reflect a moving consensus. I don’t see anything that needs to be changed structurally in the Constitution. I certainly wouldn’t use the Constitution as a way to put in any public policy provisions. There is some talk among political scientists and lawyers about changing the Constitution to lengthen the terms of the members of the House of Representatives from two to four years. But I don’t think there’s much public support for that out there.

“The people who are now interested in amending the Constitution tend to be champions of a particular cause. They want a balanced budget amendment, or a pro- or anti-abortion amendment, or pro- or anti-school prayer amendment. I think those things are better played out through the courts and the Congress.

“As for this being the bicentennial year of the Constitution, I think this is a very important celebration. It’s what I call a renewal of the social contract. We will understand better the terms under which we live and work and decide important questions. For a country such as ours, which doesn’t have the long history of nationhood, the Constitution is both an instrument of government and a symbol of our unity.

“And it’s been a remarkable system. It’s only broken down once in 200 years, and that was during the Civil War.

“The Constitution would break down if everyone insisted on having their own way, right now, no matter what. So I think people need to understand this.

“As systems go, this is a pretty fair and just one we live under. No one has found anything better.”