A New Era of Leadership for the University of California: Perspectives on Priorities for the UC Presidential Search

The selection of a new leader for the University of California comes at a time of great change and opportunity for higher education in our state. California is now investing more money per student than when the Great Recession began in 2008. Remedial education reform, improved counseling and services, and streamlined college pathways are moving increasing numbers of students toward academic achievement and degree completion.

Each of the state’s higher education segments is making progress on ambitious goals: the California Community Colleges aim to increase transfers by 35% over a five-year period ending in 2022; the California State University wants to raise graduation rates to70% within six years by 2025; and the UC is targeting a 20% boost in the number of undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded by 2030.

Amid the gains, however, the institutions are grappling with big challenges. Lack of capacity is forcing the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems to turn away tens of thousands of eligible students every year. Black and Latino students continue to be underrepresented on campuses and experience lower rates of graduation than white students, even as California has become more racially diverse. And as the cost of housing and other living expenses soar, many students are unable to afford the full cost of attending college.

The leadership transition at the UC, among the world’s premier postsecondary research institutions, will help shape the future of higher education in California and beyond. The potential for change is heightened by the simultaneous search for a new president of the CSU, the largest four-year public university system in the United States.

The process of selecting a UC president has traditionally focused on gathering input from stakeholders from within the university system, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni. To bring external partners to the table in this search, College Futures Foundation organized two forums. The events, held at UC Davis in December of 2019 and UCLA in January of 2020, provided the UC Regents’ presidential search committee with testimony from organizations working in the field of postsecondary education, workforce and economic development, and student success.

The speakers’ perspectives varied, but they had a common goal: to ensure that the UC has strong leadership that can build on the state’s legacy of accessible postsecondary education and continue the momentum to expand opportunity and student success. This report outlines the themes that surfaced from the speakers’ testimonies, detailing their ideas on the roles, priorities, and culture that the University of California should advance in the next decade and beyond.