University of California President Robert C. Dynes announced that Marye Anne Fox, currently chancellor of North Carolina State University, is the finalist for the chancellor position at UCSD. The announcement was made April 2, before Dynes had a chance to bring his decision before the UC Board of Regents, due to a news leak. The Regents will convene on April 12 at UCSD to discuss and vote on her nomination.

According to A.S. Vice President Internal Jenn Pae, who served on the search committee, they were all impressed by Fox’s long list of accomplishments and her work with students.

“Looking at what she’s done in the past, she’s fairly young for all the things she’s accomplished so far,” Pae said. “But what most impressed me was that the students responded to her. She had won some past awards [for teaching], including an award that the students voted for.”

In addition to acting as NCSU chancellor, Fox, who holds a doctorate in organic chemistry from Dartmouth College, also serves as an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and has been a member of its executive committee. She also sits on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the NAS Committee on Science and Engineering Public Policy and is the co-chair of National Research Council’s Government-University-Industry roundtable. Prior to her appointment to the NCSU chancellorship in 1998, she was the vice president for research at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Dr. Fox is widely regarded as a fine teacher and mentor, a dedicated researcher, and a seasoned administrator of a large and active public research institution,” Dynes said in an April 2 statement. “In the end, my decision was guided by my belief that Dr. Fox brings the combination of skills needed to build on UCSD’s reputation as one of the finest universities in the world.”

According to Pae, Fox’s personality also struck her during her interview.

“What impressed me was the fact that she was so personable,” Pae said. “She was very welcoming. She was one of the only [candidates] who went around and introduced herself to the whole committee.”

According to North Carolina State’s campus newspaper, Technician, many NCSU officials, including football coach Chuck Amato, are disappointed to see Fox leaving. Fox was very active in NCSU athletics.

“I hate to see it happen,” Amato told Technician. “The first time I ever met her, she had so much energy for the university. She brought something here — some excitement to excel in everything this university does. Everything.”

However, not all reports from North Carolina State University have been positive. The NCSU Faculty Senate voted 29-6 to censure Fox in January 2003 for her firing of two vice provosts over the objections of the provost, Frank Abrams. The provost resigned in protest.

“The university community expects that authority be exercised with fairness in a non-precipitous, reasoned and civil manner,” the faculty senate’s resolution stated. “The authority of the provost has been usurped as a result of the chancellor’s actions. The chancellor has shown serious lack of judgment in firing two vice provosts who commanded widespread respect and regard within the university community.”

Addressing the NCSU Faculty Senate, Fox defended her actions by citing her need for a management team able to implement her vision.

“I can assure you that these decisions were not precipitous,” Fox told the senate. “They were based on many months of communication — written and verbal — about the absolute necessity for coordinated, cooperative, consensus-based leadership in Academic Affairs that would bring faculty issues to the table for full betting. This was about teamwork and the open sharing of information and therefore about the individuals who, as part of the leadership of this university, could participate actively in that teamwork.”

Fox divulged information regarding her censure to the search committee, according to Pae.

“The committee was well aware of the censure, and I was impressed by her composure and how she dealt with the situation,” Pae said. “Amongst all of her qualifications, it was also her demeanor and what she would bring to UCSD that makes her the best person to serve as our chancellor.”

According to Dynes’ statement, which was e-mailed to all UCSD students, faculty and staff, he was forced to reveal Fox’s identity in an “unanticipated fashion” as a result of an information leak.

According to Technician, Fox revealed her candidacy to her executive officers and the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees on the morning of April 2. The Technician reported that later in the day UNC president Molly Broad sent a letter to the UNC Board of Trustees announcing that Fox had accepted the position. Dynes announced Fox’s nomination the same afternoon.

“When we met [April 2], it was all preliminary information,” NCSU vice-chancellor for student affairs Thomas Stafford told Technician. “Of course, by the end of the day, it was all over the news.”

According to UC spokeswoman Lavonne Luquis, Fox would officially take office on July 1 if confirmed by the Board of Regents, and the university is already giving her information about UCSD to smooth the transition.

The university has not yet settled on a compensation package. Luquis and Vice Chancellor of External Affairs James M. Langley both declined to comment on Acting Chancellor Marsha A. Chandler’s role at UCSD in the event that Fox is confirmed.

More information on Fox’s background can be found at http://chancellor.ncsu.edu/maf.html.