Positive Spin for UC Prez Nominee
As prior posts have noted, there is a lot in the news media about questions being raised about the nominee for UC president, Janet Napolitano. Now, with the nomination coming up in tomorrow’s meeting, there is spin in the news media to put the nomination in a positive light. From the San Jose Mercury-News:
If Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is appointed UC president on Thursday, Californians will be getting more than just a big-name politician who has wrangled unwieldy bureaucracies and responded to natural disasters, supporters say.Those who have known Napolitano since her undergraduate days at Santa Clara University note that she has been far more involved in university affairs than her résumé suggests. They say the state will gain a forward-thinking leader who can help the prized system find its way in a new economic reality. Her record as governor of Arizona reveals a concern to expand higher education and make it more accessible, even when money was scarce…
Full story at http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_23679890/uc-chief-nominee-janet-napolitano-has-long-involvement
As a practical matter, as noted in prior postings, it is a foregone conclusion that this nomination will be confirmed (just as it was a foregone conclusion that the nomination of the student regent would be confirmed). The Regents don’t overturn the recommendations of their own committees. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be critical comments made, particularly in the public comment session.