When Norman Abrams stepped onto campus in 1959 to assume a
faculty position, he never thought he would one day step into the
chancellor’s office to assume the position of chief executive
of the university.
But when University of California President Robert Dynes
approached Abrams about accepting the post, Abrams considered and
eventually accepted the prospect of sitting behind the large
mahogany desk with the “Chancellor” nameplate.
Abrams, a professor emeritus of law, will act as the interim
chancellor starting July 1st, immediately following the end of
Chancellor Albert Carnesale’s nine-year term.
Simultaneously, an advisory committee appointed by Dynes
continues to search for a permanent chancellor.
Abrams’ term could be as short as a few months, but it
could be as long as a year or more. The most likely scenario is
that, though the position may be filled in the next few months, the
new chancellor may not be able to start his or her duties until the
next school year, Abrams said.
Maximo Langer, a professor at the law school who has known
Abrams for three years, said he thinks of Abrams as a “very
kind, generous and thoughtful person and scholar.”
“I think that he will be an excellent chancellor. He is an
experienced scholar and administrator, a very likable individual,
and he knows UCLA like no other person,” said Langer, who has
exchanged feedback with Abrams on research projects the two have
conducted independently.
And indeed Abrams has had much experience as administrator.
Since 1959, Abrams has been a professor in the School of Law,
teaching in the areas of federal criminal law, anti-terrorism law
and evidence. During this time, Abrams also served as the vice
chancellor of academic personnel from 1991 to 2001 and the interim
dean of the law school from 2003 to 2004.
Abrams received his Artium Baccalaureus degree ““ similar
to a Bachelor of Arts ““ from the University of Chicago in
1952 and continued his higher education to earn his Juris Doctor, a
professional law degree, from the University of Chicago in
1955.
Years of experience in law may be helpful to Abrams in his work
as chancellor, but Abrams said other experiences will help him
more.
“I think legal training is useful for many things, but I
think more important is the diversity of experiences that
I’ve had both in the law school and on the campus. I know the
campus quite well,” Abrams said. “That familiarity will
serve (me) well.”
Langer said he remembers Abrams as a very good administrator and
said “we were lucky to have him as an interim dean at the law
school for a year.”
Tall and thin with gentle eyes, Abrams has strong leadership
skills, a quality that Dynes noted in a statement.
“Professor Abrams is an accomplished scholar and
administrator, and he knows the UCLA community well,” Dynes
said.
Similar to Dynes and Langer, Herbert Morris, a professor
emeritus of philosophy and law who has known and worked with Abrams
for about 50 years, said Abrams possesses qualities that would make
his tenure as acting chancellor a great success.
“There is his wide experience with a range of different
academic matters. In addition he combines a remarkable range of
virtues: He is cool and patient under fire, … he solicits the
views of all concerned parties before making a decision, he is
decisive after conscientious consideration of the issue before him,
and he has a sense of humor,” said Morris of Abrams’
strengths.
“His weaknesses? Here I am stumped. Perhaps an
over-inflated estimate of his table tennis skills?” Morris
joked.
Abrams expressed excitement about taking the role of
chancellor.
“UCLA is a very special place. I think of the UC as being
one of the great universities not only of the United States, but
also of the world. UCLA and our sister institution up north (UC
Berkeley) are the crown jewels of the UC. It’s an exciting
challenge to be able to serve that institution,” Abrams
said.
Abrams said sees his role as the acting chancellor as analogous
to the role of the captain of a ship.
“The university is like a moving ship, a great ocean
line,” Abrams said. “It’s heading toward its
goals.”
The role of the acting chancellor, according to Abrams, is to
keep the ship moving either at least at the speed it was going
before or at a greater speed.
And while the UCLA ship seems to be sailing smoothly, larger
issues such as declining admissions of underrepresented minority
students and decreased state funding to the university within
higher education still lurk beneath the waters.
Abrams said he sees the need for sufficient resources for
universities as the most disconcerting issue facing the UC. He said
he believes it is crucial to support higher education institutions
because they can provide economic and technological advancements,
among other benefits.
“(Universities) are avenues for upward mobility. So the
values are immeasurable, but I don’t believe at this point in
history that (that) value is as appreciated as it should be,”
he said.
To help resolve this problem, Abrams said, “I think we
need to do as much fundraising as we can from private
sources.”
Abrams’ philosophy is similar to that of Carnesale, who
will be leaving the chancellor position in five days. Both think
financial resources are lacking and say the solution can be found
in fundraising.
During his tenure, Carnesale oversaw a large-scale fundraising
project that brought the university more than $3 billion in private
donations.
Abrams said he will borrow philosophies from Carnesale because
he has been an “outstanding chancellor,” but Abrams was
also quick to note that he has had the “privilege of working
during the tenures of four past chancellors.”
The four chancellors Abrams refers to are Vern Knudsen, Franklin
Murphy, Charles Young and Albert Carnesale.
“Each (chancellor) had great strengths. I’ve always
tried to learn from those I work with and in terms of philosophy. I
think the philosophies of all of these men were founded on the
answer to one basic question: what’s in the best interest of
UCLA,” Abrams said.
“That was the guiding star for all of them, and that will
be my guiding star,” he added.
In 1959, when Abrams began his relationship with the UCLA
family, he remembers UCLA as a much smaller place without most of
the buildings that are on campus today.
“I do remember walking around the campus and thinking how
beautiful it was, and I still feel the same way. We are, in my
judgment, the most beautiful of the campuses. So I was thrilled by
being here, and I was much younger, but I was still challenged at
that time by the prospect of what lay before me … just as I am
today,” Abrams said.
And though Abrams will go back to scholarship once a permanent
successor to Carnesale takes office, he hopes the permanent
chancellor will contribute to UCLA’s history of success.