The finalized advisory committee to help determine the next
chancellor of UCLA was announced Thursday, marking the first step
in the search for the university’s ninth chief executive.
The 17 members of the committee will advise UC President Robert
Dynes in the selection process, which includes recruiting and
screening potential applicants and interviewing candidates.
Committee members include five UC regents, four UCLA faculty
members, two student representatives, a staff representative, an
Alumni Association representative, the UC Academic Senate vice
chairman and the chairman of the UCLA Foundation. Dynes and Board
of Regents Chairman Gerald Parsky are ex-officio members.
UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale announced last September his
plans to step down on June 30, 2006. Following a sabbatical leave,
Carnesale plans to return to teaching.
The committee will evaluate applicants vying for the position
and eventually forward its recommendations to the UC Board of
Regents for final approval. In a statement released Thursday, Dynes
said he hopes to recommend a candidate to the Board of Regents by
mid- to late spring.
The committee plans to convene Dec. 8 at UCLA, where it will
meet in closed session with other select faculty, staff, students
and community representatives to pool ideas and comments regarding
the search and to learn the needs of the campus.
Adam Rosenthal, the student regent serving on the committee,
said he knew of his appointment several weeks ago and was excited
at the news.
“I am a UCLA (alumnus), so I have a keen interest in the
campus,� said Rosenthal, now a law student at UC Davis.
“I want to make sure (the next chancellor) is well aware
of student concern, (that) he recognizes UCLA as one of the best
public research institutions, understands the importance of
diversity at UCLA, and lastly, that it is someone who has a
vision,� he added.
Another committee member, Alumni Association President Eleanor
Brewer, also cited the importance for the prospective chancellor to
have a vision for the future of UCLA and the direction of higher
education.
Brewer, who has served on search committees at UCLA for a dean
and a vice chancellor, said although the process is long, she is
looking forward to meeting a variety of people interested in the
position and working with Dynes and the committee.
UCLA faculty members include Alfonso Cardenas, computer science
professor; James Economou, professor and chief deputy director in
the division of surgical oncology; Kathleen Komar, comparative
literature professor; and another faculty representative yet to be
named.
Graduate representative Jared Fox, the Graduate Students
Association president, is also serving on the board. Undergraduate
Students Association Council President Jenny Wood will sit on the
committee as the undergraduate representative.
The search process will be assisted by A.T. Kearney, a search
firm that will aid in soliciting applications and nominations.
Alberto Pimental, vice president of A.T. Kearney in Cerritos, said
in a statement that candidates for the chancellor position should
demonstrate leadership skills in an academic environment;
experience in the administration of large-scale, diverse and
complex organizations; and a strong record of teaching, research,
service and scholarship.