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 JANA SUMMERS Executive vice chancellor Wyatt Rory
Hume will leave UCLA in July to serve as vice chancellor
at the University of South Wales, Australia.
By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff
It’s back to the land of koalas and kangaroos.
Wyatt Rory Hume, the executive vice chancellor of UCLA, will
leave his post as the university’s second-highest ranking
administrator in July to become vice chancellor at the University
of New South Wales, Australia.
“Rory is a highly valued colleague and friend who has made
valuable contributions to UCLA,” chancellor Albert Carnesale
said in a statement Friday.
The chancellor appointed Hume the EVC on July 1, 1998, when he
was dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry.
This marks the second vice chancellor to announce his departure
from the university in as many months. Last November, vice
chancellor of student affairs Winston Doby, resigned to become vice
president of educational outreach for the University of California
system.
As EVC, Hume is UCLA’s chief operating officer, in charge
of maintaining communication between the faculty and administration
by conducting meetings with various schools and departments. After
gathering their input, the EVC advises the chancellor in decisions
dealing with university operations.
Hume decided to accept the UNSW’s offer over this past
winter break, and sees the position as a welcome opportunity.
“The chance to take what is the leading university in
Australia and to help it move toward being internationally
competitive is very appealing,” he said.
“It’s the right move for me. It’s an excellent
match with what I can do and want to do,” he continued.
UNSW Chancellor John Yu said in a statement he is confident in
Hume’s ability to help lead the university.
“(He) will provide the leadership and inspiration needed
to ensure that UNSW remains at the leading edge of higher education
in Australia and internationally,” Yu said.
Hume, a native Australian, will be back home for the first time
in 10 years. He said he had always intended to return, possibly
upon retirement, but sees the early arrival as beneficial for him
and his family.
The surroundings of Sydney, where UNSW is located, are familiar
to Hume, who served as dean of the School of Dentistry at the
University of Sydney during the mid-1980s.
“It’s a very exciting city,” Hume said.
“They have a terrific opera and theater, and I can go sailing
and hiking much like I do in California.”
But even with the promise of this new opportunity, Hume regrets
that he’ll have to leave behind colleagues and comfortable
surroundings at UCLA.
“It’s a wonderful group of people and a great
campus,” he said. “The beauty of UCLA makes it a very
pleasant working environment.”
He also expressed appreciation for the university’s
performing arts program.
“The program is a world treasure. I’ll miss the
museums, the Geffen Playhouse and the sculpture garden,” Hume
said. “Oh, and I’ll miss the basketball,
too.”
Hume first came to UCLA in 1974 as a postdoctorate fellow. After
his stint at the University of Sydney, he became chair of the
Department of Restorative Dentistry at UC San Francisco. In 1996,
he took the post of dean of the School of Dentistry.
The search for his replacement will be conducted shortly, and
the university hopes to identify candidates by May so Hume can
properly help his successor adjust to the position.
Correction: posted 1/2/02 The story
“Hume accepts vice chancellor position, leaves post at
UCLA,” (News, Jan. 9) should have specified that Hume’s
position will be both president and vice chancellor of the
University of New South Wales, Australia, a position equivalent to
a chancellor or president at a U.S. university.