UC Board of Regents Selects New Chair

BAY AREA, CA – Los Angeles attorney George Kieffer has been elected by his colleagues to serve as the chair of the University of California's Board of Regents, the university announced Wednesday.

Kieffer, 69, who earned a bachelor's degree in history from UC Santa Barbara and a law degree from UCLA, was appointed to the Board of Regents in 2009 and previously served as an alumni regent from 1978 to 1980,
according to university officials.

The first meeting at which he will preside as chair will be held next week.

UC officials said Kieffer's election as board chair culminates decades of service to the UC, to California higher education and to public service in general.

"By any and all measures, this is the finest public university system in the world and I'm honored to be a part of it," Kieffer said in a statement.

Kieffer said, "All of us - the governor, legislators, faculty, staff, regents and the public - need to work together to keep it that way and provide today's students and succeeding generations the same affordable and
quality education provided by and for earlier generations of Californians."

Kieffer said his goals as chair of the Board of Regents chair include focusing on the quality of undergraduate education, examining the costs of higher education, preserving the university's history of excellence in teaching, research and public service, and continuing to expand access to more and diverse Californians.

Kieffer is a partner and member of the executive committee of the national law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, which is based in Los Angeles.

He also served as chair of the commission charged with rewriting the Los Angeles City Charter for its first full revision in 75 years.

The UC Board of Regents also has elected John A. Perez, a former speaker of the California State Assembly who attended UC Berkeley but never graduated, to serve as vice chair for the upcoming year.

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--Bay City News/Image via UC Santa Cruz