Robert Dynes
Dynes reflects on his UC presidency
As he prepares to step down as UC president on June 15, Bob Dynes looks back on five years at the helm of a university he fell in love with as a new physics professor in 1990. That year he joined UC San Diego's faculty after a 22-year career at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He was UCSD's chancellor in 2003 when he accepted the job of UC president.
Q. What were some of the high points of your presidency?
Dynes: When I took this job in 2003, I pledged that my top priority would be sustaining the quality of what I believe is the world’s finest university. We did that on three fronts. First, we worked to stabilize state funding for the university in a period when it looked like the bottom might fall out. Second, we went 3-for-3 in the national lab competitions, which seemed to surprise everyone but me. Third, and most important, we laid out a long-range vision for the university, which had never been done before. That vision is “One University with the Promise and Power of 10 Campuses.” Over the past year, I have conveyed that vision to every part of the system, and I have been gratified by the responses, which are contained in a special “Power of 10” report.
Q. You became president after serving as a department chair, a campus chief academic officer and a campus chancellor. What have you learned as UC president that surprised you?
Dynes: The UC president sees the entire breadth and depth of the state of California in a way that few people ever experience, and I have been most surprised at just how much UC reaches into the lives of all Californians. It is virtually impossible to find anyone who does not benefit from our impact on health care, agriculture, science and technology, arts and culture, public policy, and, in a brand new development, K-12 education. UC had never taken on in a major way the challenges facing K-12 education because we felt it was CSU’s job. I thought it was important for all of higher education to play a role, and we acted by launching our “Cal Teach” Science and Math Initiative. When I pushed that initiative forward with the governor in 2005, I was told that faculty and students on the campuses would never buy into it. Today, Cal Teach is thriving, faculty are enthusiastic and students are signing up in droves. That has been very gratifying.
Q. What’s next on your horizon?
Dynes: On the near horizon, I will spend a lot more time with my wife, Ann, at our home in San Diego and a lot less time with my BlackBerry. I have an active laboratory with post-docs, graduate students and undergraduates, and I will see more of them. My lab has built a new superconducting tunneling microscope that is unique in the world for its ability to probe aspects of high-temperature superconductors. It’s a thrilling project. On the far horizon, I want to think very carefully about the third act of my life, following my first two acts at Bell Labs and UC, and about how I can continue to pursue my passion for R, D & D: research, development and delivery of new ideas to benefit society and change the world.
Q. What advice will you give incoming UC President Mark Yudof as you head out the door?
Dynes: I’ve already urged him to forge a strong relationship with the governor, who is a huge UC fan, the leadership in the Legislature and the Academic Senate, and with his two presidential advisory boards, the Agriculture Commission and the Science and Innovation Board. I’ve known Mark for over a decade. He is an outstanding choice who has already hit the ground running. I urge everyone in the UC community to give him their full support – I know I will – and I hope he savors every minute of his presidency.