The University of California, Los Angeles has its next chancellor, and it’s the first Latino to hold the role.
Dr. Julio Frenk, a former member of the cabinet of Mexico, former dean of the school of public health at Harvard and current president of the University of Miami, was unanimously approved for the job by the UC Board of Regents on Wednesday, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Frenk, 70, replaces Chancellor Gene Block, who ends a 17-year run in the role when he steps down on July 31. Frenk’s salary will be just under $979,000, the Times reports.
Frenk’s term as chancellor will officially begin on Jan. 1, 2025, the school said in a news release. Between July and January, UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt will serve as interim chancellor, the school said.
In the school’s release, Frenk noted that he’s leaving the private Miami to return to public education.
“At this crucial moment for higher education, returning to the public sector to lead one of the top research universities in the world — including one of the 10 largest academic health systems — is an exciting opportunity and a great honor for me,” Frenk said in the school’s statement. “I look forward to adding my lifelong commitment to public service in education and health care to the vibrant, diverse and cosmopolitan community that is Los Angeles.”