ncellor finalists confirmed
Ivy League candidates appear strong after interviews
By Patrick Kerkstra
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Two Ivy League administrators and a pair of UCLA veterans are
the final candidates in the race to become UCLA’s next
chancellor.
The four were interviewed behind closed doors at the UC
President’s office in Oakland Tuesday by a 17-member committee
charged with selecting potential successors to Chancellor Charles
Young.
Although there is no official word on the candidates or even the
interviews, several independent sources said that the two UCLA
contenders, Medical Sciences Provost and Medical School Dean Gerald
Levey and Law School Dean Susan Prager, have both been eclipsed by
the outside finalists.
Sources predicted that President Atkinson will either submit
University of Pennsylvania Provost Stanley Chodorow or Harvard
Provost Albert Carnesale as the top candidate to the UC Board of
Regents for final approval.
Although it is possible that Atkinson will select a candidate
that was not interviewed, UC insiders considered that unlikely.
Atkinson, who has ultimate authority for submitting a candidate
to the regents, already has tailored the finalist list to his
liking. Although the search committee named University of Florida
President John Lombardi as a top candidate, Atkinson chose not to
invite Lombardi to an interview, sources said.
Also removed from the previous finalist list is Stanford Provost
Condoleezza Rice, who has repeatedly indicated she is not
interested in the job and declined to be interviewed.
While Levey was expected to be interviewed if any of the top
candidates declined, Chodorow’s name came as a surprise to some
committee members. His name did not appear on the committee’s list
of its top 16 candidates drafted in January.
The search committee’s list has evolved since September, when
members began reviewing educators and administrators from across
the country, looking for candidates that could meet UCLA’s unique
demands.
"I think that the culture at UCLA is different from most," said
Chancellor Charles Young. "I think that those involved here want
someone who is a leader, someone who is going to be a
decision-maker, but someone who is going to be very consultative in
that."
Search committee members said they were looking for candidates
with robust academic backgrounds, administrative experience and
fund raising ability.
"I don’t know that any walk on water," said search committee
member Professor Rosina Becerra of the candidates in an interview
last month. "But all possess these characteristics in varied
amounts. Of course, some are stronger in some areas than
others."
And although Chodorow was not discussed in official meetings
prior to Tuesday, some sources feel that he may possess the mix of
qualities the committee and Atkinson are searching for.
"Many committee members felt that he had the breadth of
knowledge about UCLA’s strengths and weaknesses necessary to be an
effective chancellor," one source said.
Before becoming the University of Pennsylvania’s Provost in
1994, Chodorow worked for President Atkinson at UC San Diego as the
dean of Arts and Humanities and associate vice chancellor of
Academic Planning.
Some university officials speculated that his knowledge of the
UC system combined with an outside perspective make him an
attractive candidate.
Harvard Provost Carnesale reportedly also interviewed well, but
opinions were more mixed on his chances.
"Carnesale gave a good performance," a committee source said,
"but it was unclear to the committee whether or not he could run an
institution like UCLA."
However, another official pegged Carnesale as the likely
pick.
"He’s clearly very intelligent and the prestige of Harvard
certainly helps," the source said.
Before becoming provost, Carnesale was dean of Harvard’s
prestigious Kennedy School of Government. He has also has had
extensive experience as an arms-control expert in Washington
D.C.
Carnesale and Chodorow, with their Ivy League experience and
national prominence, may have left the UCLA candidates behind,
sources said.
Levey, although he is still favored by many regents, received
mixed reviews from other committee members.
"Levey faced a considerable amount of opposition from members of
the search committee because of his dictatorial management style,"
a committee source said.
Although sources said Dean Prager was prepared and interviewed
well, she seemed a less likely selection then either Chodorow or
Carnesale.
Prager was the only UCLA candidate on the first finalist list
drafted in January, largely due to faculty support. And although
Prager is widely-respected and well-liked within her school,
several sources said she was unlikely to be Atkinson’s choice.
Atkinson is expected to select one of the four candidates for
final approval from the regents in March.
(The committee is) looking for candidates with robust academic
backgrounds, administrative experience and fund raising
ability.Albert Carnesale
Provost, Harvard UniversityStanley Chodorow
Provost, University of PennsylvaniaGerald Levey
Provost, UCLA Medical Sciences
Dean, UCLA School of Medicine
Susan Prager
Dean, UCLA Law School