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SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER THE SELECTION OF A PRESIDENT, March 14, 2013

TO THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

The Committee presents the following from its meeting of March 13, 2013

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP

The President of the University of California must be a visionary leader with the judgment, creativity, and courage to enhance the quality and reputation of the University as one of the preeminent public research universities in the world. The President represents the University in its role as an international, national, and state exemplar in the education policy arena. The President will inspire public support of the University in its three missions of education, research, and public service, and demonstrate a commitment to excellence, diversity and inclusion, affordability, and accessibility. To provide this leadership, the President must understand and have demonstrated support for outstanding scholarship and possess the highest intellectual capacity; have extraordinary communication skills; exhibit the leadership qualities necessary to instill the highest ethical standards and conduct throughout the University; have the experience and reputation to command the respect of all the University’s constituents; and maintain limitless energy and enthusiasm, courage, and stamina.

The new President will have the capacity to lead change; have the ability to listen to those affected and make a decision; and the dexterity to identify a path forward and motivate others to follow. The President will have a vision for where the University is going (e.g. global innovations; application and uses of new and different technologies; social, economic, and health challenges), as well as the ability to be the face of the University and a strong spokesperson who will explain to all Californians why the University is of particular importance to the social, political, and economic vibrancy of the State.

MANAGEMENT

The quality and complexity of the University, a multi-dimensional, public research, land-grant institution which includes ten campuses, five academic medical centers, the management of three distinguished national laboratories, and an agricultural division with operations in all 58 counties in California, requires a President who has the ability to attract and retain an exceptional, dedicated and ethical management team whose members come from prestigious careers in both the public and private sectors.

In a cooperative environment, the President will develop and implement long-range plans and policies and build teams across the University system. The President should have a proven ability and commitment to attract, promote, maintain, and support staff, as demonstrated by leadership of an organization with best practices in recruitment, retention, and financial support for staff professional development.

The President needs to exhibit a comprehension of the magnitude and complexity of the University’s financial environment and be able to utilize the resources available to the University effectively and efficiently.  This includes recognizing that UC, and public universities in general, have seen a gradual, but continued and significant reduction in financial support by the state over many years. The President must be innovative in addressing this constraint through private fundraising and creative revenue generation, administrative and educational delivery efficiencies, and many other solutions in order to maintain the mission and excellence of the University of California.

The ability to provide an affordable education for students within this overall financial environment is a critical component. To provide management excellence, the President must be able to inspire, mobilize, and consult effectively with the chancellors, faculty, students, staff, and alumni; guide the accurate allocation of authorities and responsibilities between the campuses and the Office of the President; be committed to the University’s tradition of shared governance with the Academic Senate; have respect for the collective bargaining process; and execute timely and full consultation on issues of concern to the Regents while recognizing the appropriate division of authority between the Board of Regents and the administration.

EXPERIENCE

These necessary leadership and management skills will be most effective in a President who has demonstrated an ability to anticipate and direct change; who has experience interacting successfully with both state and federal government and is able to establish effective relationships with the Governor, the Legislature, federal officials, and all government agencies important to the success of the University, as well as with other public policymakers and California’s business community; who has the ability to increase public and private funding for the University; who has served as an effective representative and speaker in a variety of public settings; who has the ability to communicate effectively with the public and the media, the capacity to inspire all of UC’s internal constituent groups, the political acumen to develop, sustain, and encourage effective working relationships with the Regents, policymakers, the press, and stakeholder groups, including those who may oppose or be critical of administrative actions, and the intellectual stature to command the respect of the faculty.

Source: http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar13/sreport.pdf

It shouldn't be hard to find the ideal candidate. The Regents need only look up in the sky: