George R. Blumenthal, a distinguished UC Santa Cruz professor of astronomy and astrophysics and former chair of the UC systemwide Academic Senate, was appointed chancellor of the University of California's Santa Cruz campus today (Sept. 19).
Acting on the recommendation of President Robert C. Dynes, the UC Board of Regents appointed Blumenthal the tenth chancellor of UC Santa Cruz during the board's meeting in Davis. The selection culminates a five-month, nationwide search that attracted more than 550 prospective candidates.
Blumenthal has been serving as acting chancellor for the past 14 months, following the death in June 2006 of Chancellor Denice D. Denton.
"In naming George Blumenthal to this important position, we are choosing a person who has contributed significantly to UCSC's richly deserved reputation for producing world-class research and student-focused instruction," Dynes said. "George Blumenthal's thoughtful, collegial and constructive leadership style will solidify UCSC's stature as one of the premier research universities in the nation."
"I am deeply honored by this appointment to lead a campus so distinctive and effective in fulfilling its mission," said Blumenthal. "UCSC has a bold vision and superb programs. Our students are outstanding, and our faculty are exceptional scholars committed to giving students uncommon learning and research opportunities. I will proudly work with the campus community, our accomplished alumni, and the many communities we serve to continue UCSC’s upward trajectory."
During Blumenthal's tenure as acting chancellor, he united the campus community after the death of Chancellor Denton, presided over the development of a new campus academic plan, effectively reached out to Santa Cruz leaders and neighborhood groups concerned about UCSC's projected growth, strengthened ties to Silicon Valley's business and higher education communities, and broadened external support for UC Santa Cruz (the campus' endowment exceeded the $100 million-milestone during Blumenthal's tenure as acting chancellor).
Blumenthal, 61, has been a UC Santa Cruz faculty member since 1972 with a research focus on theoretical astrophysics. His work spans subjects ranging from gamma ray bursts, compact X-ray sources, and active galactic nuclei to cosmology, and the origin of structure in the Universe. He helped lead the way in developing the "cold dark matter theory" of galaxy formation, which has over the last 20 years become the standard paradigm for how structure forms in the Universe.
As one of the first generation in his family to attend college, Blumenthal earned his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his Ph.D. in physics from UC San Diego. He is the co-author of one of the leading astronomy textbooks, 21 st Century Astronomy.
In addition to his distinguished scholarship, Blumenthal has broad experience as an academic leader both at UC Santa Cruz and within the University of California system. He served as chair of the UC Academic Senate for the 2004-05 year. He was the faculty representative to the UC Regents from 2003 to 2005. In these statewide roles, Blumenthal's leadership helped change UC's eligibility criteria to meet UC's mandate to provide access to the top 12.5 percent of high school graduates and enhance the ability of community college students to transfer to UC.
He also chaired the UC Santa Cruz Division of the Academic Senate from 2001 to 2003, and twice previously chaired the campus's world-renowned Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. He also served on the campus' Silicon Valley Initiative task force, which established the vision for UC Santa Cruz's engagement and activities in Silicon Valley.
Blumenthal is a founding faculty member of Oakes College, one of UCSC's 10 residential colleges; Oakes, which is committed to serving students from diverse backgrounds, emphasizes multicultural approaches to its "living and learning" activities.
He has been an aggressive champion of diversity, both as a member of the Regents' Study Group on Diversity (on which he serves as chair of the working group on diversity in graduate and professional schools) and in pushing a number of new campus initiatives, including the creation of the first-ever Chancellor's Advisory Council on Diversity.
"George Blumenthal's success as acting chancellor presages an extraordinarily successful chancellorship," said UC Board of Regents chairman Richard C. Blum. "He has demonstrated he has the talent and skills, the respect of the campus and the community, and the support of the Regents to help write an exciting new chapter in the history of a unique and important campus in the University of California system."
In addition to serving as chancellor, Blumenthal will continue to hold his faculty appointment at UC Santa Cruz.
He is married to Kelly Weisberg, a professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. They have two children.
For a brief biography of Blumenthal and to download a high-resolution photo of the new chancellor, please go to the following UCSC web site:
http://chancellor.ucsc.edu/biography.shtml
Blumenthal's compensation as chancellor is detailed here.