Courtesy of UCOP.edu France A.
Córdova is UC Riverside’s new chancellor.
By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff
The University of California announced Tuesday the appointment
of France Córdova as the new chancellor of UC Riverside.
Córdova is currently the vice chancellor of research at UC
Santa Barbara, a post she has held since 1996. She is of Mexican
and Irish descent, making her the first ever Latina chancellor in
the UC.
Slated to take office on July 1, Córdova fills a post that
has not been occupied by a Latino/a since Tómas Rivera, who
was chancellor of UCR from 1979-83.
Her appointment also brings the tally of female chancellors in
the system to three, with M.R.C. Greenwood of UC Santa Cruz and UC
Merced Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey being the other two.
“France Córdova brings outstanding academic
credentials and solid leadership experience,” said UC
President Richard Atkinson.
“She is committed to young students working to their
maximum potential and reaching out to the community,” he
added.
Before coming to UC Santa Barbara, Córdova was chief
scientist for NASA from 1993-96. She also headed the department of
astronomy and astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University and was
a physics professor at UCSB.
Her other UC involvement includes a stint as deputy group leader
of the Space Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the Los Alamos
Laboratory.
“Her record of achievement is outstanding,” said
regent Norman Pattiz. “It’s fortunate that she emerged
from the selection process.”
Córdova was appointed in the midst of a community campaign
to push for a Latino/a chancellor for UCR. The most visible and
vocal group was the National Alliance for Human Rights, led by UCR
ethnic studies chair Armando Navarro.
“We have achieved a major historical victory, and not just
for the Latino community,” Navarro said.
NAHR has been campaigning since January for a Latino/a
chancellor to succeed Raymond Orbach, who left to head the Office
of Science in the Department of Energy. The organization garnered
the support of the Latino Legislative Caucus as well as the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
“We have made a dent in the stereotype that Latinos
can’t get their act together,” Navarro said.
“That should inspire a contagion of further activism and
mobilization.”
But Atkinson said the campaign had no effect on the selection
process.
“There was a national search and the focus was on
identifying the best possible person,” Atkinson said.
“There was no consideration of race or ethnicity.”
Córdova said she did not follow the campaign.
“To tell you the truth, I’ve been interviewing for
this job because I thought I was well-qualified to lead this
campus,” she said.
The pool of applicants was narrowed from an initial pool of
about 200, Atkinson said. An 18-member committee of regents and
university-wide faculty served as an advisory committee to Atkinson
““ who made the final recommendation to the Board of Regents.
Córdova’s appointment passed through the Board
unanimously.
Regent Velma Montoya also characterized the appointment as
“historic.”
“She will be a very significant role model for
students,” Montoya said.
Hailing from La Puente, Calif., Córdova graduated cum laude
in 1969 from Stanford University with a degree in English. She went
on to earn her Ph.D. in physics from the California Institute of
Technology in 1979.
In 1969 she served as guest editor of Madamoiselle Magazine.
UC Riverside is the most ethnically diverse campus in the UC.
The student makeup includes 22 percent Chicano/Latino students, the
highest such proportion in the system.
“It’s important when we talk about diversity to be
truly expansive in that term,” she said. “The strength
of diversity is different perspectives.”