SUBJECT:

Letter to UC San Diego regarding Campus Leadership

Dear UC San Diego colleagues:

Earlier today, I informed President Mark Yudof of my intention to step down as Chancellor of UC San Diego next summer, culminating nearly eight years as Chancellor.

Serving as Chancellor of UC San Diego has been the most rewarding chapter of my professional career, and I am proud of our growth and accomplishments. Our achievements have truly been extraordinary. Together, we successfully completed a $1 billion Capital Campaign – the first in UC San Diego history. Last year, our faculty members, scientists, postdoctoral scholars and students conducted more than $1 billion in sponsored research, a milestone within UC.

We have initiated $3.5 billion in capital improvements, adding 3.4 million assignable square feet of space in new construction, a nearly 40% increase since 2004. Faculty now teach, conduct research, and care for patients in state-of-the-art facilities, including the Conrad Prebys Music Center, the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center, and the Rady School of Management. The heart of the campus has grown, with additions of the Student Services Center and the Price Center expansion. Housing projects added residences for more than 5,100 students, strengthening the student experience on a campus that boasts award-winning public art and buildings overlooking the beautiful Pacific.

We have accomplished all of this while emphasizing interdisciplinary research and curricula, and internationalizing our offerings. It is here, at UC San Diego, where creative collaborations and innovation thrive.

We are justifiably proud of our widespread efforts that have improved campus climate for all students, faculty and staff. Our expanded curricular offerings include courses that give students a better understanding of our diverse communities. We concluded the academic year with a celebration to dedicate our new Chicano Legacy Mural. And, in the fall, we will officially launch the search for a Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to lead our diversity initiatives.

When I arrived in San Diego, I inherited a strong campus led by exceptional visionaries like Herb York, Dick Atkinson and Bob Dynes. I am proud that over the past seven years we have further developed a strong leadership team, and I am confident that UC San Diego will remain a stellar public research institution, recognized as an international powerhouse where faculty, staff and students collaborate to change the world.

In the fall, President Mark Yudof will initiate an international search for my replacement. At the conclusion of my tenure as Chancellor, I will return to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry to teach and conduct research.

I want to thank you personally for your hard work, dedication and support. I am grateful for the warm friendships I have developed with you, the UC San Diego Foundation Trustees, campus advisory groups, donors and alumni. I look forward to our work together in the coming year as our campus continues its journey to achieve the extraordinary.

Marye Anne Fox Chancellor