Santa Cruz dean named new leader at UC Merced
Fresno Bee (Merced Sun-Star) 1/18/07
Kang, 61, the dean of UC Santa Cruz's school of engineering, received unanimous support from the board and will begin his new role on March 1.
"I am thrilled by the confidence you have assured in me to lead UC Merced to the next level," Kang said to the board.
UC President Robert Dynes said Kang's leadership experience at UC Santa Cruz played a pivotal role in his being chosen for the position.
"I fully expect UC Merced will blossom under him as well," Dynes said. "He will deal with the growth pains of a start-up, but it is a UC start-up. It will succeed."
Kang will take over from Acting Chancellor Roderic Park, who was appointed to the position in September, following the August departure of the school's founding chancellor, Carol Tomlinson-Keasey.
Kang said he came to the United States with about $100 in his pocket in 1969 from a small town near Seoul, South Korea, on a scholarship to attend college.
He was the first member of his family to attend college, and he recalled how he used to send money back home to support his family.
Kang said his experience as an immigrant has enabled him to empathize with many UC students who have overcome the challenges of language and economics to succeed.
Kang majored in electrical engineering as a student, receiving his bachelor's degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1970, his master's degree from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1972 and his doctorate from UC-Berkeley in 1975.
Prior to his appointment at UC-Santa Cruz, Kang was a professor and department head of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Kang holds 14 patents, has published more than 350 technical papers, and has co-authored nine books, according to UC Merced.
During his time as an engineer with AT&T Bell Laboratories, Kang was noted for leading the development of the world's first 32-bit CMOS microprocessor and peripheral chips, according to a UC news release. A 16-member advisory committee completed interviews with candidates for the chancellor's position in October, after a nationwide search that produced about 65 candidates.
Kang will have a full plate of challenges in front of him. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to release the draft environmental impact report on UC Merced's 900-acre expansion plan in late February — and guiding the implementation of that plan will be his responsibility.
He also will be faced with coming up with ways to more than triple the university's enrollment of 1,285 within the next five to 10 years.
Kang and his wife, Mia, have two children, Jeffrey, 27, and Jennifer, 31.
As UC Merced's chancellor, Kang will receive an annual salary of $295,000, in addition to health benefits and an annual automobile allowance of $8,916.
Tomlinson-Keasey earned $260,000 annually during her time as chancellor.