June 3, 2013

TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY

Dear Colleagues:

After 11 years of outstanding leadership as our Executive Vice Chancellor, and a highly distinguished career at UC Santa Barbara spanning nearly four decades, EVC Gene Lucas has decided to retire on December 31, 2013.

I would like to take this opportunity to express our profound appreciation for Dr. Lucas's tireless and dedicated service, and for his countless contributions to advancing the stature and academic mission of our university.

Gene is an alumnus of UC Santa Barbara, with an Sc.D. in nuclear engineering from MIT. He joined our faculty in 1978. An exemplar of the interdisciplinary culture of our campus, Professor Lucas has been part of our Departments of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Materials, and Mechanical Engineering. He is highly regarded for his experimental investigations into the response of structural materials in energy and transportation systems. His innovative research techniques and discoveries have helped to advance the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of a wide variety of phenomena that dictate the mechanical performance of structural materials in nuclear environments. Dr. Lucas has received numerous recognitions for his contributions to teaching, research, and service, including election as Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, eight outstanding faculty awards, a UCSB Alumni Association Teaching Award, and the 2010 UCSB Alumni Association Graver Service Award.

Gene has a rich history of university service and governance. Prior to becoming our Executive Vice Chancellor, he served as Associate Chair of our Department of Materials, Vice Chair of our Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Associate Dean of Advancement and Planning for our College of Engineering, and Acting Dean of our College of Engineering. As EVC, he has also taken on additional roles to help our campus, including serving as Acting Dean of our Graduate Division, Acting Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Personnel, Acting University Librarian, and Campus Ethics and Compliance Officer. His multifaceted contributions are reflected also in the broad and diverse array of committees he has chaired or served on over the years.

EVC Lucas has made a monumental contribution to planning for the future of our university through his work on our Strategic Academic Plan and our Long Range Development Plan. Another monumental contribution has been guiding our campus through the WASC accreditation process during the past and current years. As the longstanding co-chair of our Coordinating Committee on Budget Strategy, he has helped to guide our campus through the most challenging budgetary period of diminishing state funds while maintaining our quality and forward momentum. He has also helped to enhance operational efficiencies and effectiveness across our campus, improve our information technology infrastructure, and strengthen our academic administrative structure.

Because of his seniority, vision, experience, and selfless devotion, UCOP has tapped his unusually suitable talent to lead and participate in a number of systemwide committees as well. He served on the UC Budget Task, co-chaired the Funding Strategies Work Group for the UC Commission on the Future, chaired the Library Planning Task Force, chaired the search committees for the UC Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Vice President for Human Resources, and was a member of the Provost search committee. Currently he chairs the Systemwide Library and Scholarly Information Advisory Committee and the UC Privacy and Information Security Steering Committee, and is a member of the Executive Budget Committee, among others. As a result, not only has he contributed significantly to UCOP, but he has also helped to elevate the stature of our campus systemwide.

I will be moving forward quickly to appoint an advisory committee to conduct a national search for our next Executive Vice Chancellor.

Please join me in congratulating EVC Lucas, and in extending our heartfelt thanks for his deep and sustained devotion to our university. His leadership will have a long-lasting impact on our campus, and we will always be grateful. As he and his wife, Susan, prepare for the exciting next step in their lives, we wish them both the very best, just as they have given the very best to our campus.

Sincerely,

Henry T. Yang
Chancellor