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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will become the first female president of the University of California system, officials announced Friday.
“I am pleased to announce that the Special Committee has nominated Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to serve as the 20th president of the University of California,” UC Regent and Committee Chair Sherry Lansing said.
Napolitano, who will resign from her federal post Friday, will head the 145-year-old, 10-campus system that includes local schools such as UCLA, UC Riverside and UC Irvine. The UC system also includes five medical centers, three affiliated national laboratories and a statewide agriculture and natural resources program.
The system has more than 234,000 students, about 208,000 faculty and staff, more than 1.6 million living alumni and an annual operating budget of more than $24 billion.
Napolitano, one of 300 potential nominees reviewed for the position, received a unanimous vote of recommendation from the 10-member Special Committee, Lansing said.
“While some may consider her to be an unconventional choice, Secretary Napolitano is without a doubt the right person at the right time to lead this incredible University. She will bring fresh eyes and a new sensibility – not only to UC, but to all of California,” Lansing said. “She will stand as a vigorous advocate for faculty, students and staff at a time when great changes in our state, and across the globe, are presenting as many opportunities as challenges. A final decision on Secretary Napolitano’s appointment rests with the full Board of Regents. I can say with great confidence that the Special Committee has put forward a remarkably gifted candidate.”
