University of California President Robert C. Dynes has named a 16-member committee of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community representatives to advise him in the search for the next chancellor of the UC Santa Cruz campus.

George Blumenthal, a UC Santa Cruz professor of astronomy and astrophysics and a former chair of the University’s systemwide Academic Senate, has been serving as acting chancellor since June 2006, following the death of former chancellor Denice Denton.

The committee members include+:

- UC regents Jefferson Coombs, Joanne Kozberg, Maria Ledesma and Norman Pattiz;

- Faculty representatives Gibor Basri, department of astronomy, UC Berkeley; Michael Brown, vice chair of the Universitywide Academic Senate; Paul Koch, department of earth and planetary sciences, UC Santa Cruz; Glenn Millhauser, department of chemistry, UC Santa Cruz; Olga Najera-Ramirez, department of anthropology, UC Santa Cruz;

- Staff representative Catherine Woldow, president of the UC Santa Cruz Staff Assembly;

- Student representatives Raymond Austin, chair of the UC Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly; Luke Johnson, Graduate Students Association representative;

- Alumni representative Dominador Siababa, president of the UC Santa Cruz Alumni Association;

- Foundation representative Anuradha Luther Maitra, president of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation;

- Ex officio members of the selection committee include Dynes, convener of the committee, and Richard C. Blum, chairman of the UC Board of Regents.

One additional regent is expected to be appointed to the advisory committee and will be named soon.

Bruce Darling, systemwide executive vice president for university affairs, and Linda Morris Williams, UC associate president, will serve as consultants to the committee.

The committee’s first meeting will be held April 9 at the Santa Cruz campus, where committee members will meet in closed session with faculty, staff, students and community representatives to gather ideas and comments about the search and learn more about the distinct needs of the Santa Cruz campus.

The committee will also be involved in recruiting, screening and conducting interviews with candidates for the position. The process will be assisted by the search firm of Edward W. Kelly & Partners.

Dynes hopes to recommend a candidate to the UC Board of Regents by late summer.

Appointments of chancellors and the formation of advisory committees are governed by UC policy, available at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/policies/6135.html. Chancellors’ duties are outlined at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/bylaws/so1006.html.

About UC Santa Cruz: Opened in 1965, UC Santa Cruz has a current enrollment of about 15,000 students. Undergraduates pursue course work in more than 60 majors, and graduate students work toward master's degrees, doctoral degrees and graduate certificates in more than 30 academic fields. The largest single employer in Santa Cruz County, UC Santa Cruz was responsible for about $1 billion dollars of economic activity in Santa Cruz County in the 2004–05 year (most recent data available).

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For more information about UC Santa Cruz: www.ucsc.edu