Robert C. Miller appointed to fill position of interim director for UC Silicon Valley Center
UC Santa Cruz professor and academic administrator R. Michael Tanner has accepted a position as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), effective July 1, 2002. The appointment was announced today (February 12) by UIC Chancellor Sylvia Manning, following approval by the executive committee of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. The position is the chief academic officer and chief budget officer for UIC. (See UIC press release.)
Currently, Tanner is professor of computer science and interim director of the UC Silicon Valley Center. UCSC's Vice Chancellor for Research Robert C. Miller, who brings extensive international experience in issues of intellectual property and technology transfer, will assume responsibilities for leading the UC Silicon Valley Center during an interim period.
"This news generates mixed emotions," commented UC Santa Cruz Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood. "I congratulate Michael on a wonderful career opportunity, one for which he is eminently well qualified. However, it is a bittersweet moment, because the campus will lose the benefit of his excellent administrative acumen and intellectual leadership--and I will miss working with him as a close colleague and friend."
Tanner leaves UC Santa Cruz after a distinguished career spanning more than 30 years. He arrived at the campus in 1971, as an assistant professor, having graduated from Stanford University, where he earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering.
In addition to teaching and research responsibilities, Tanner has held several key administrative posts over the years. From 1981 to 1988, he served as chair of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences. In 1988, he was acting dean of the Natural Sciences Division. In 1989, he became the campus's academic vice chancellor, and in 1992, he was appointed as executive vice chancellor, a position he held until 1998. Tanner was appointed interim director of the UC Silicon Valley Center in August 2000.
"I feel privileged to have had a long and varied career at this innovative and remarkable UC campus," Tanner notes. "At UC Santa Cruz I have enjoyed the company of exceptional colleagues and stimulating projects for more than three decades. Now, I am eager to tackle the new challenges and meet the wider responsibilities that the University of Illinois at Chicago offers."
Recognition of Tanner's achievements at UCSC was underscored by Jorge Hankamer, UCSC professor of linguistics and a former dean of humanities, who served in administrative positions that worked closely with Tanner. "Michael provided exemplary leadership during a critical time in the development of the campus," he said. "During his tenure as executive vice chancellor, he guided us through the growth pains of the '90s, despite severe budgetary constraints, and he engineered an orderly transition from a heavily centralized administration to a more distributed and effective one. This shift, which gave divisions and departments greater autonomy and responsibility, was arguably the most significant change in campus operations since its beginning."
At UIC, working with the vice chancellors for administration, health affairs, student affairs and research, the provost plays a major leadership role in advancing the programs of instruction, research, and service. All the deans, including the deans of the six health sciences colleges, as well as the university librarian and the chief information officer, report to the provost.
"Michael Tanner's depth and breadth of experience in teaching, research, and administration make him the perfect choice to become UIC's new provost," UIC Chancellor Manning said. "He has excelled throughout his career as a scholar and as an academic leader."
The University of Illinois at Chicago is a public research university with an annual budget of $1.171 billion and approximately 12,000 faculty and staff. Total enrollment in fall 2001 was 24,530. UIC has 15 academic colleges, including colleges of medicine, dentistry, engineering, liberal arts and sciences, and business administration.
Tanner's research interests include coding and information theory, computer simulation models, educational uses of information technology, and intellectual property. He holds four patents and is a fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
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Editor's Note: Reporters may contact the University of Illinois at Chicago through Mark Rosati, (312) 996-5546. To arrange interviews with Michael Tanner or new interim director of the UC Silicon Valley Center, Robert C. Miller, contact Elizabeth Irwin, (831) 459-2495.
Photos of Tanner and Miller are available at www.ucsc.edu/news_events/download.
