OAKLAND – Robert C. Dynes, a first-generation college graduate who helped cultivate UC San Diego's academic reputation, was unanimously approved as president of the University of California yesterday.

For the second time in a decade, UC regents conducted a national search with hundreds of candidates and opted to tap the chancellor of their San Diego campus to lead the prestigious public university system.

Dynes, 60, will replace retiring UC president and former UCSD Chancellor Richard C. Atkinson as head of an institution with more than 200,000 students, nine campuses, three national laboratories and five medical centers.

In his new role, Dynes will have the opportunity to shape state and national higher education policy.

Atkinson, who has served as president since 1995, radically transformed admissions and expanded access to the University of California.

Notably, after he publicly denounced the SAT as an unfair and distorted measure of high school knowledge, the national organization that runs the test – taken by more than 1 million high school students – announced major revisions.

Dynes said yesterday his top priority as UC president will be to maintain excellence in education despite budgetary constraints. This year's state budget crisis threatens to take a $300 million bite out of UC's $13 billion annual budget.

UC administrators project that over a three-year period ending next year, enrollment will have grown by 18 percent, but the state-funded portion of the budget will have fallen 6 percent.

"We cannot compromise quality of education or research," Dynes told regents. "Because if we compromise on that, we will be compromising the citizens of California."

With his characteristic effusiveness, the lanky chancellor walked from the regents meeting to a news conference with a grin and an arm tightly wrapped around his wife, UCSD professor Frances Dynes Hellman.

Asked about the many challenges he will face as president, he deferred comment on most, simply saying, "I have some learning to do."

Politicians and educators alike endorsed the selection yesterday, and praised Dynes for his accomplishments and humility.

"There aren't many people in America who have done what he's done," said John Moores, chairman of the regents and owner of the San Diego Padres. "He's a remarkable combination of scientist, academician and administrator."

While some UC faculty said they were initially concerned that Dynes' science emphasis as a physicist might dilute his attention to the humanities and social sciences, they added that they were reassured by his holistic view of the university.

"He believes that we are a university, not a technical academy," said Gayle Binion, who chairs UC's academic council.

Dynes was chosen, she said, because of his broad qualifications: "We were looking for someone who was a first-class scholar, who had a high level of administrative experience, who had managed a diversity of fields, who could work well with government."

Several state legislators and the governor issued statements praising Dynes for "extraordinary leadership."

"He's seen as someone who's intellectually deep, but also low-key, and that's a very good combination," said David Ward, president of the American Council on Education.

Dynes' distinguished career as a scholar, along with his achievement in continuing the growth of UCSD as an "extremely competitive and highly regarded institution," make him amply qualified for the position, Ward said.

The award-winning physicist has some tough political and academic issues ahead, including whether UC should bid to continue its management of the Los Alamos National Laboratory when the contract expires in 2005.

Dynes said he felt the university ought to prepare to compete, but only do so if the bid is consistent with the university's mission.

He will also have to decide how quickly to advance with plans to open a 10th campus at Merced, while so many other campuses are cash-strapped. He must continually address how to accommodate more students, and how to sustain quality of education.

Many said yesterday that they have confidence in Dynes' ability to navigate the highly politicized world of the state Legislature.

"You have a person of such upright stature, such honesty. He is a very good leader, he makes people move together," said Geert Schmid-Schoenbein, a UCSD bioengineering professor.

Said Atkinson, "There is absolutely no question in my mind that we made the right decision."

Dynes was selected from more than 300 candidates in a highly secretive process that did not disclose the number of finalists. Once he begins his presidency in early October, he will be paid $395,000.

Though saddened by the loss for UCSD, some students yesterday said they thought ultimately it would be for the best.

"Since I've been here, we just keep moving up in rankings, and it shows that he can get what he wants," said Evan McLaughlin, a communications and history double major and the new editor of The Guardian, UCSD's newspaper. "He's been a big promoter of diversity, which I applaud, and he's brought in lots of research money, which will help with the budget."

Dynes' departure will be the latest among the leadership of higher education in the San Diego region, including the University of San Diego, CSU San Marcos and the San Diego Community College District.

"What's going to happen in San Diego is we're going to lose some of our best educational leaders," said San Diego State University President Stephen Weber. "I'm going to miss those folks. I'm going to miss Bob."