The University of California System announced Friday that the new president will now be James B. Milicken, a longtime public university leader who runs New York University and the University of Nebraska.
During the difficult period of higher education, Miliken, 68, is considered an experienced and relatively safe choice to lead the country's most prestigious public university system.
Milicken, known as JB, takes over the system of nearly 300,000 students and has the UC system crosshair when the Trump administration targets the country's elite universities. All 10 campuses of the University of California are under investigation by the administration for a variety of reasons, including hospitalization practices and anti-Semitism allegations.
So far, the California system has escaped some of the deep federal funding that the White House announced is being charged to other universities. However, as California aims to manage its forecast long-term deficit, the system faces proposals to cut its state budget by around 8%.
In announcing Milicken's choice, the University of California Council Committee said the new president “understands how important UC's contributions are to the state and the nation, and he has decades of experience leading public institutions in an era of unprecedented change in higher education.”
Emphasizing Milicken's commitment to low-income students, Regent mentioned the stewardship of the New York University system, where he worked from 2014 to 2018.
He was known for improving graduation rates at Cuny, even if state funding cuts led to worsening facilities. He oversaw the launch of Cuny School of Medicine, which focuses on underserved communities in New York.
When he announced he would resign in 2017, he was being treated for throat cancer. He remained a Cuny faculty member before joining the University of Texas system in 2018.
At UT, Milliken was known for defending his efforts to provide free lessons to students with family incomes under $100,000. He also oversaw the implementation of state laws that abolish diversity, equity and inclusion offices, and testified to the Texas Legislature that 21 offices in the system were closed and 311 positions were eliminated.
In a statement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the new president “provides years of experience and the stable strategic leadership needed to expand the impact of UC.”
“The future of California depends on the strength of our institutions, and there is little more important than the University of California,” Newsom said.
“We are facing an unprecedented time in higher education for a number of reasons. I think we all recognize what it is in terms of public awareness and attitude in terms of federal funding,” Milicken, who was featured at the Council Committee held in San Francisco on Friday.
“We need to do everything we can to get that ship right,” he said.
At the same time, he added, universities must respond to advances in artificial intelligence and other technological development.
“We know that higher education is facing challenges and change,” he said. “What remains the same is the University of California's historic mission, education, research, healthcare and public services,” he concluded his remarks with the university's motto, “Fiat Lux.”
Milicken was born in Fremont, Nevada, and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska in 1979 and a law degree from New York University in 1983. Before joining Academia, he practiced law at the Legal Aid Association and later practiced law alongside the company Kadwaladder, Wickersham & Taft.
His choice follows a decision by Michael V. Drake, who will step down from his July job. Miliken expects University of California leadership on August 1 at a salary of $1,475,000.
