U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has been nominated for appointment as the 20th president of the University of California, it was announced today (July 12).
Regent Sherry Lansing, chair of a 10-member special search committee, said Napolitano rose to the top from a large field of candidates and was recommended on a unanimous vote.
The full Board of Regents will act on the recommendation Thursday, July 18, during a special meeting following the board's regular bimonthly meeting in San Francisco.
"I am both honored and excited by the prospect of serving as president of the University of California," Napolitano said in a statement. "If appointed, I intend to reach out and listen to chancellors, to faculty, to students, to the state's political leaders, to regents, to the heads of the other public higher education systems and, of course, to President Yudof and his team, who have done so much to steer the University of California through some extremely rough waters."
Lansing called Napolitano, "a distinguished and dedicated public servant who has earned trust at the highest, most critical levels of our country's government. She has proven herself to be a dynamic, hard-working and transformative leader.
"As governor of Arizona, she was an effective advocate for public education, and a champion for the life-changing opportunities that education provides...Those who know her best say that a passion for education is in her DNA.
"As Secretary of Homeland Security," Lansing added, "she has been an ardent advocate for the federal Dream Act and the architect of a policy that protects from deportation young undocumented immigrants who are pursuing a college education."
Napolitano said she recognized she was a non-traditional candidate to lead the University of California with its 10 campuses, five medical centers, three affiliated national laboratories and a statewide agriculture and natural resources programs.
"In my experience, whether preparing to govern a state or to lead an agency as critical and complex as Homeland Security, I have found the best way to start is simply to listen," she said.
Board Chair Bruce Varner, who served as vice chair of the search committee, noted in a separate statement: "Throughout her noteworthy career, Secretary Napolitano has built a track record for taking on and tackling the toughest of challenges. She has a reputation for seeing things through, no matter how difficult the effort.
"She has the intellectual curiosity, leadership qualities, personal charm and discipline needed to navigate any future challenges that await this university.
"I anticipate learning much from Secretary Napolitano, given her experience leading large, complex organizations."
Robert Powell, chair of UC's systemwide Academic Senate and a faculty representative on the Board of Regents, praised the choice: "In my discussions with her, Secretary Napolitano clearly articulated the view that the University of California must do all it can to ensure not only that it remains the greatest public university in the world in the 21st century, but also that it moves to new heights.
"She has deep respect for the faculty, and she will listen to what we say. She knows that, as the core of what makes UC great, the faculty must have an environment in which they can thrive as scholars and teachers."
Said California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., "Secretary Napolitano has the strength of character and an outsider's mind that will well serve the students and faculty. It will be exciting to work with her."
If the regents approve the appointment, Napolitano would become the first woman in the university's 145-year history to serve as president. She would succeed Mark G. Yudof, who announced in January that he would step down at the end of August after serving for more than five years.
As the twice-elected governor of Arizona, serving from 2003 to 2009, Napolitano was a consistent champion of public education, protecting funding of the state's universities even as she addressed a $1 billion deficit upon assuming office. By 2006, she had turned the deficit into a $300 million surplus without raising taxes.
Chosen by President Barack Obama to serve as the third Secretary of Homeland Security, Napolitano leads a complex array of efforts to safeguard the nation — counterterrorism, border security, immigration enforcement, cybersecurity and disaster preparedness, response and recovery. Homeland Security is the third largest federal department, with a budget of $60 billion, 240,000 employees and 22 agencies and directorates, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Customs and Border Protection, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Coast Guard and Secret Service.
In a statement issued by the Department of Homeland Security, Napolitano said: "...I will be nominated as the next President of the University of California to play a role in educating our nation's next generation of leaders. I thank President Obama for the chance to serve our nation during this important chapter in our history, and I know the Department of Homeland Security will continue to perform its important duties with the honor and focus that the American public expects."
The UC system has more than 234,000 students, about 208,000 faculty and staff, more than 1.6 million living alumni and an annual operating budget of more than $24 billion.
"I want to thank Secretary Napolitano for her outstanding work on behalf of the American people over the last four years," President Obama said in a statement. "At the Department of Homeland Security, Janet's portfolio has included some of the toughest challenges facing our country. She's worked around the clock to respond to natural disasters, from the Joplin tornado to Hurricane Sandy, helping Americans recover and rebuild.
Since day one, Janet has led my administration's effort to secure our borders, deploying a historic number of resources, while also taking steps to make our immigration system fairer and more consistent with our values. And the American people are safer and more secure thanks to Janet's leadership in protecting our homeland against terrorist attacks. I've come to rely on Janet's judgment and advice, but I've also come to value her friendship. And as she begins a new chapter in a remarkable career of public service, I wish her the best of luck."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a statement: "I know Secretary Napolitano to be both smart and competent — qualities she has demonstrated as Secretary of Homeland Security, an enormous organization with 22 departments and more than 240,000 employees. Her recent support for immigration reform — particularly the bipartisan Senate bill — aided its strong 68-vote passage in the Senate.
"As the well-respected former governor of Arizona, Secretary Napolitano will also bring to UC a distinguished record of executive experience. Janet Napolitano will make a fine president of the University of California. I welcome her to California and look forward to a new constituent."
U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement: "The students of the University of California schools will benefit each and every day from Secretary Napolitano's sharp mind and strong leadership. These universities are a source of pride and an example of excellence in our state and across our country. From San Francisco and Berkeley to Los Angeles and San Diego, each campus contributes to the tradition of innovation, creativity, and progress that defines California and its residents. As the first woman to lead the UC system, Secretary Napolitano will offer a unique voice to this critical position.
Napolitano, 55, was born in New York City and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Albuquerque, N.M., before coming to California for her college education. She was graduated from Santa Clara University with a bachelor's degree in political science. She was selected as the university's first female valedictorian, and also won a Truman Scholarship, a prestigious fellowship for college students who possess leadership potential and an interest in government or public service.
After earning her law degree from the University of Virginia, she went to Arizona in 1983 to serve as a clerk for Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and later practiced law in Phoenix at the firm of Lewis and Roca, where she became a partner in 1989. She was the first female Attorney General of Arizona, from 1998 to 2003, and served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona from 1993 to 1997.
Napolitano was named one of the top five governors in the country by Time magazine. As the first woman to chair the National Governors Association, she launched the "Innovation America" initiative to align K-12 and higher education curricula to better prepare students for a global economy and strengthen the nation's competitiveness by improving its capacity to innovate.
At the Department of Homeland Security, she has championed cutting-edge research and development, investing more than $2.2 billion in state-of-the-art solutions at national labs and universities across the country to protect people and critical infrastructure.
Under her leadership, Homeland Security also has strengthened its outreach efforts to academic institutions through the establishment of the Office of Academic Engagement, and she created the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council, involving leadership from more than 20 universities and colleges around the country.
She has repeatedly testified about the need for comprehensive immigration reform and, earlier this year, she served as the Administration's sole witness in the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill. She also testified before the Senate in support of the Dream Act and defended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals process in a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.
The Special Committee to Consider the Selection of a President, assisted by the national executive search firm Isaacson, Miller, was involved in recruiting, screening and interviewing candidates. More than 300 possible candidates were considered.
In addition to Varner and Lansing, the immediate past Board of Regents chair, the committee members were regents Richard Blum, Russell S. Gould, George Kieffer, Bonnie Reiss and Fred Ruiz. Jonathan Stein (student regent) and Ronald Rubenstein (alumni regent) also served on the committee. Gov. Jerry Brown was an ex officio member. An Academic Advisory Committee was appointed to assist the regents' Special Committee. Student, staff and alumni advisory committees joined the Academic Advisory Committee in making recommendations on selection criteria.
(Note to reporters: Out of respect for the appointment process, neither Napolitano nor the University of California will comment further until after the regents have acted on her recommended appointment.)