The University of California Board of Regents approved today (May 16) Dr. Cynthia K. Larive as the eleventh chancellor of UC Santa Cruz. Currently the provost and executive vice chancellor at UC Riverside, Larive has served the UC community for nearly a decade and a half as a faculty member, administrator and leader.
“I am deeply humbled, honored, and excited to lead UC Santa Cruz — a campus of the university I love and am greatly indebted to,” said Larive, who received her PhD in analytical chemistry from UC Riverside. “As a first-generation college student, I experienced firsthand the capacity of higher education institutions – and that of UC in particular – to level the playing field for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds, and to positively transform their lives and their futures.”
Larive has worked to expand educational opportunity and student success throughout her 14-year tenure at UC Riverside. During this time, the campus closed the gap in graduation rates between Pell grant and non-Pell grant students, while raising overall degree-completion rates and diversifying the student body and faculty. As the chief academic officer, Larive boosted UC Riverside’s progress toward enrolling one California community college transfer student for every two resident freshmen. She also oversaw the creation of academic support and peer mentoring programs to help ensure transfer student success. As chair of the first mathematics task force, Larive helped catalyze curriculum changes and boost improvements in student success with critical gateway math courses. Read more.
