U. of Texas chancellor may get top post at UC
The chancellor of the University of Texas system is the leading candidate to become the next president of the University of California and may be named to that post as soon as today, according to several knowledgeable sources.
Mark G. Yudof, a legal scholar who has headed the 15-campus Texas system since 2002, is in talks with a UC regents committee to succeed current UC chief Robert C. Dynes, who is scheduled to retire in June after nearly five years in the job.
Though sources stress that Yudof's California appointment is not a done deal, they also said that he is seen as the strongest name in an international search for a new leader of the 10-campus UC system. His experience presiding over another huge, public university chain, with both basic undergraduate programs and sophisticated medical centers, makes a good fit for UC, they said.
"The focus is on him," said one official, who requested anonymity because of the confidential nature of the talks.
The UC regents are meeting in San Francisco today and a previously unscheduled item about a special session of their presidential search panel has been added to the agenda.
Yudof, 63, could not be reached for comment.
Brad Hayward, a UC system spokesman, said he could not comment on any potential candidates.
In a statement, he said the search "is aimed at finding an individual with the rare set of skills and judgment needed to run an institution of international academic stature, great administrative complexity, and tremendous social impact."
One stumbling block could be matching Yudof's pay, a politically sensitive issue because some regents and California legislators were unhappy with the way Dynes handled a controversy two years ago over executive compensation policies seen as secretive and too lush.
Yudof's salary last year at Texas was $476,400 but deferred compensation and other benefits brought his total compensation to $742,209, according to a survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Dynes' salary was $405,000 and his total compensation was $421,000, UC reported.
The issue of high pay could be controversial because the next UC president will be walking into a state budget crisis. The university is considering cutbacks in staff and a hike in student fees, actions sure to provoke protests. This week the university announced a proposal to reduce the budget of the UC president's office.
