Friday, April 17, 1998
Cicerone receives appointment as chancellor of UC Irvine
UNIVERSITY: Dean has view of ‘big picture,’ success at
fund-raising
By Lawrence Ferchaw
Daily Bruin Contributor
In a special session Thursday, the UC Board of Regents
unanimously appointed Ralph Cicerone chancellor of UC Irvine.
UC President Richard Atkinson made the announcement of the new
chancellor – the sixth new chancellor in three years in the UC
system – after the regents held a closed teleconference to discuss
the appointment.
Cicerone is currently the dean of the School of Physical
Sciences at UCI; he will take over as chancellor on July 1.
"It has taken sustained efforts of many people to bring UC
Irvine to its current position," said Cicerone.
"I am committed to build upon this foundation and make our
programs even more attractive for students," he continued.
Colleagues of Cicerone were not shy about praising his
performance and his abilities.
"He looks at the big picture, he’s decisive and I think he will
be a great for the campus," said Richard Chamberlin, chair of UCI’s
chemistry department, a part of Cicerone’s department.
Atkinson cited these reasons, along with Cicerone’s fund-raising
ability, as reasons for his selection.
"Dr. Cicerone is committed to continuing to build the quality of
the UCI campus," said Atkinson.
"As a recognized leader on the Irvine campus, he is well
positioned to lead the campus as it enters the next century," he
continued.
Cicerone is a recognized scientist who joined the faculty at UCI
in 1989 as professor and chair of the department of earth and
system science. In 1994 he took his current position as dean.
"Generally you might get people who might want to do
administrative work, but he’s still in the mainstream of his field;
one of the top in the world," said Chamberlin.
He was recognized last year with a United Nations award for his
research on the ozone layer, which he has focused on for over 20
years.
Current chancellor Laurel Wilkening announced in September that
she would step down to pursue other interests.
Regent Meredith Khachigian praised Wilkening’s work and said she
was hopeful Cicerone would continue in the same direction.
"He will provide the skill and experience necessary to add to
the many successes achieved by UCI under Chancellor Wilkening’s
leadership," said Khachigian.
Members of Cicerone’s department expressed mixed feelings about
his departure.
Though he will still be at the university, Jon Lawrence, chair
of the department of physics and astronomy, said that those in the
school will "miss him."
At the same teleconference meeting, the regents approved a
salary of $202,500, less than the $227,000 salary of UCLA
Chancellor Carnesale.
Terry Lightfoot, of the UC president’s office, attributed this
to the size of the university, saying that the chancellors at UCLA
and Berkeley make more than chancellors at the other campuses.
While Atkinson said that he announced the appointment with
"great pleasure," he apologized for the haste with which the
meeting was called.
Regent Velma Montoya praised Atkinson for his work in choosing
Cicerone.
After announcing the appointment of Cicerone, Atkinson said he
hoped they will not have to appoint more next year.