SUBJECT:

Continued Appointment for Vice Chancellor – Marine Sciences – Margaret Leinen

Margaret Leinen Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce the continued appointment of Prof. Margaret
Leinen as Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences, Director of Scripps
Institution of Oceanography and Dean of Marine Sciences, following a
successful five-year review. The review committee recognized Vice
Chancellor Leinen’s leadership in overseeing and advancing research
initiatives, growing academic programs, building partnerships at the
local, regional, national and international level, as well as
accelerating and increasing visibility of UC San Diego’s marine and
environmental programs.

During her five-year term, Vice Chancellor Leinen led development of an
exciting set of research initiatives focused on some of the most
pressing environmental issues and most promising areas of funding for
the future. These initiatives, part of the university-wide Understanding
and Protecting the Planet theme, built Scripps Oceanography capability
but also reached out to include researchers from across the university,
creating interdisciplinary opportunities in research, in education and
outreach. The research advances contributed to Scripps Oceanography
being ranked first in the nation in Earth and environmental research by
Nature in 2015.

Leinen led Scripps Oceanography to increase the number of its
undergraduate majors by 40% and double its masters enrollment, while
maintaining its globally recognized PhD program. In order to serve this
growing student body, the number of faculty increased by 20%. A focus on
diversifying the faculty increased the number of female faculty by over
40% to a total of 42, added three faculty from URM groups and
substantially increased the number of early career faculty.

A new long-term physical plan for the Scripps portion of the UC San
Diego campus led to new classrooms and laboratories and new academic
affairs administrative space complemented by major renovations of the
historic Scripps Building, Sverdrup Hall; substantial improvements to
Vaughn Hall and Hubbs Hall, and about $20M in deferred maintenance
investments over 5 years. The Coastal Sciences Building is currently
being renovated with private funds. New and improved research
facilities, including the completion of a new research vessel (R/V Sally
Ride), a major refit of the R/V Roger Revelle and new experimental
facilities in the Hydraulics Laboratory were funded by federal grants.

Under Leinen’s leadership Scripps Oceanography’s partnerships with
local, State of California, federal and international organizations have
flourished. For example, Scripps Oceanography researchers provided
critical components of the recent 4th California Climate Assessment,
have partnered with the Port of San Diego and US Navy facilities in San
Diego to address sea level rise concerns, are providing critical
infrastructure to assist CalFire in wildfire response, and have
partnered with NOAA and the US Army Corp of Engineers to provide new
insights into the atmospheric rivers that dominate rainfall in
California that will provide greater predictability of these important
events that provide rainfall but have the ability to create flooding as
well. A new partnership with the developers of Seaport Village San Diego
puts SIO’s Birch Aquarium in charge of developing the concept for a new
public aquarium at the site and opens the door for other learning center
and blue technology opportunities.

These exciting developments have led to a doubling of the private
philanthropic support for Scripps Oceanography over the past five years.
Some highlights of this support include endowments for a new Center for
Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, to two new faculty chairs, and a
$6M endowment for Birch Aquarium to work with some of the most
underserved schools in San Diego to enhance understanding of the role of
the ocean in our coastal community. A new corporate affiliates program
has brought blue technology companies to the campus to work with our
faculty and students on projects that will contribute to the economy of
the San Diego region and the nation.

While Scripps Institution of Oceanography has enjoyed an international
reputation for decades, Leinen expanded opportunities through 43 formal
international agreements for research and educational opportunities. Her
international reputation led to her serving as a Department of State
Science Envoy under both the Obama and Trump administrations. She has
also served as the President of the American Geophysical Union, the
scientific society that represents earth, ocean, atmosphere and space
science nationally and internationally.

We are pleased to note the advances during Dr. Leinen’s tenure, and we
extend our appreciation to the review committee for its thorough work.
Please join us in congratulating Vice Chancellor Leinen for her
contributions to the campus.

In closing, I would like to thank the five-year review committee and its
chair, Jeffrey Gee, for their efforts in this comprehensive, thoughtful
and thorough review process. The committee’s recommendation proved to
be invaluable in the decision process.

Pradeep K. Khosla Chancellor