University of California President Janet Napolitano announced her pick to be the next chancellor of UC Berkeley.
Napolitano chose Carol Christ to take over for Nicholas Dirks, who announced his plan to retire in August 2016 and return to teaching history and anthropology.
Dirks’ announcement followed months of scandals and criticism toward Dirks’ spending $700,000 on a fence around the chancellor’s residence. He was also criticized for lenient punishments for faculty and administrators accused of sexual harassment and for proposing changes and cuts to academic programs to decrease the university’s $150 million budget deficit.
[Related: UC Berkeley chancellor to resign amid criticism from students, faculty]
Christ, who serves as UC Berkeley’s interim executive vice chancellor and provost, would be the first woman to serve in the role.
She served as the president of Smith College, one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, from 2002 to 2013.
Napolitano’s nomination cited Christ’s leadership, strategic planning skills, deep commitment to the university’s core values and her many academic and professional accomplishments, as reasons Christ stood out from other qualified candidates.
Christ would take office on July 1 if she is confirmed by the UC Board of Regents at its Thursday meeting.
The regents also confirmed Gary May as the new chancellor for UC Davis in February.