Wyatt R. (Rory) Hume, formerly executive vice chancellor of UCLA and president of the University of New South Wales in Australia, has been named executive vice provost and vice president for academic affairs for the University of California system.

Acting on the recommendation of UC President Robert C. Dynes, the UC Board of Regents appointed Hume to the position effective Sept. 1. He will serve as chief academic deputy to Provost and Senior Vice President M.R.C. Greenwood, with responsibilities for strategic planning, liaison with the Academic Senate and campus chief academic officers, and leadership of multiple functions in the Division of Academic Affairs.

Hume, a native of Australia, has been a teacher, research scholar, academic administrator and dental clinician both in the UC system and in the Australian university system. His career includes appointments spanning 18 years at UCLA and UC San Francisco. He currently advises the Australian government on key elements of science policy and funding for that country.

"UC is extraordinarily fortunate to have secured Rory Hume's services to assist me, Provost Greenwood and the entire UC community in helping to chart the future course of the university," Dynes said. "Rory's depth of experience, his warm personal style and his demonstrated integrity will be of great benefit to us all. The Regents and the entire UC community join me in welcoming Rory back to our family."

Hume served as executive vice chancellor of UCLA from 1998 to 2002 and as president of the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia, from 2002 to 2004. He previously served as dean of the School of Dentistry at UCLA; as chair of the Department of restorative dentistry at UCSF; and in faculty positions at the University of Adelaide, University of Sydney and UCLA, where he received the School of Dentistry's Outstanding Teacher Award for four years in succession.

As executive vice chancellor at UCLA, Hume had management oversight for the UCLA College of Letters and Science and the UCLA Health System, including the School of Medicine, the faculty practice plans and the UCLA Hospital System.

He led UCLA's strategic planning processes, provided leadership in resource management and allocation, served as a key liaison with the Academic Senate, and oversaw several key academic initiatives, including the genesis of the California NanoSystems Institute and the "UCLA in LA" community engagement project. He has served on committees and task forces focusing on systemwide governance issues throughout his association with UC.

"I am delighted to re-join the UC community of scholars, and to do so in a role where I will be able to contribute again to the shape, nature and success of the university's programs in research, teaching and service," Hume said. "The opportunity to work with President Dynes, Provost Greenwood and all of the staff and faculty of this great university is extremely attractive to me and to my family. My wife Jenny and I look forward to again being an integral part of a university we love, and to working again with so many people of great dedication and talent."

In his new position, in addition to representing and acting on behalf of the provost in the day-to-day administration of Academic Affairs, Hume will provide leadership in the areas of research policy, compliance, programs and multi-campus research units; academic personnel; educational programs; professional education and extended learning, including University Extension and Continuing Education of the Bar; and academic support services, including the California Digital Library, UCTV and other services.
In addition, currently there is a close working relationship between the divisions of Academic Affairs and Health Affairs. With the recent appointment of Michael Drake, formerly vice president for health affairs, as chancellor at UC Irvine, that relationship is under active evaluation for future integration, and Hume is expected to be an integral part of that organization.

"Rory has unique capabilities, well demonstrated in his earlier work within UC, in bringing people together to create and strengthen links between teaching and research in ways that most effectively use the resources available to us," Greenwood said. "We value highly his commitment to high academic standards and his talent for listening and communicating."

Hume holds a B.S., B.D.S., Ph.D. in pharmacology, and D.D.S. from the University of Adelaide in Australia. He is the author of three books, more than 60 research papers, and more than 100 chapters and other publications.

His current research concerns the release of biologically active components from materials used in tooth restoration and their diffusion and clearance from the body. The second edition of his textbook on the prevention and treatment of dental disease was published in 2005.

Hume and his wife have two adult children and two grandchildren.

The regents approved an annual salary of $295,000 for the position. Consistent with university policy, the regents also approved a one-time relocation allowance of $73,750.