The University of California has found its next leader in Texas.
The University of California Board of Regents announced Friday that it has appointed James Milliken as the 22nd president of the system.
Driving the news: Milliken joins the University of California after serving as the chancellor of the University of Texas system since 2018.
- He also was the chancellor of The City University of New York from 2014 to 2018, the president of the University of Nebraska from 2004 to 2014 and the senior vice president at the University of North Carolina from 1998 to 2004.
- Milliken will succeed UC President Michael Drake, who has led the system since 2020.
- Milliken is the second outgoing University of Texas system chancellor to become President of the University of California, following Mark Yudof.
What we’re watching: Milliken will officially take the job on Aug. 1 and make an annual salary of $1.475 million.
What they’re saying: “The University of California is universally regarded as the preeminent public research university in the world, and I am deeply honored to have an opportunity to join the many talented faculty, staff, and campus leaders in their vital work,” MIlliken said. “It is more important than ever that we expand the education, research, health care, and public service for which UC is so widely admired and which has benefited so many Californians.”
- UC Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly said Milliken embodies the qualities and leadership experiences the UC community needs.
- “He understands how critical UC’s contributions are to the state and the country, and he has decades of experience leading public institutions during times of unprecedented change in higher education,” Reilly said. “Chancellor Milliken is simply the right person for UC at just the right time.”
