Linda P.B. Katehi
Encyclopedia
Pisti Basile "Linda" Katehi-Tseregounis is a Greek-American engineer
and university administrator. Since 2009, she has served as the sixth chancellor
of the University of California, Davis
.
and grew up on Salamis Island
in Greece
. She received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens
, Greece, in 1977.
Katehi, as a student, participated in the uprising
against the dictatorial regime that occurred at that university in 1973, an uprising that was violently crushed on November 17 by a combined military and police force.
She came to the United States in 1979, then earned a master’s degree and doctorate in electrical engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
, University of California, Los Angeles
, in 1981 and 1984, respectively.
has led to numerous national and international awards both as a technical leader and educator, 19 U.S. patents, and an additional five U.S. patent applications. She is the author or co-author of 10 book chapters and about 650 refereed publications in journals and symposia proceedings.
A member of the National Academy of Engineering
, she chaired until 2010 the President’s Committee for the National Medal of Science
and the Secretary of Commerce’s committee for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. She is a fellow and board member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
and a member of other national boards and committees, including the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board
.
In April 2011, Katehi was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. She is also on the Board of Directors of John Wiley & Sons
.
Previously held positions include the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University
, and associate dean for academic affairs and graduate education in the College of Engineering and professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan
.
Katehi has mentored
more than 70 postdoctoral fellows, doctoral and master’s students in electrical and computer engineering. Twenty-two of the forty-four doctoral students who graduated under her supervision have become faculty members at research universities in the United States and abroad.
. She oversaw the admissions office during much of the time period that came to be investigated as part of the University of Illinois clout scandal
. Katehi denied involvement, saying the "Category I" decisions were made at higher administrative levels.
by the University of California Board of Regents on May 7, 2009, effective August 17, 2009. She holds UC Davis faculty appointments in electrical and computer engineering and in women and gender studies. Katehi charged a committee with creating a new "Vision of Excellence" for the school. She also launched several blue ribbon committees: tech transfer and commercialization, research, information technology
excellence, and organizational excellence. Katehi also created the Chancellor's Colloquium Distinguished Speaker Series to bring together distinguished scholars and government leaders who promise intellectual spark and enriching engagement with our academic community As of 2009, Katehi's base annual salary was $400,000.
In response to acts of hate and intolerance on campus in 2010, Katehi launched the Hate-Free Campus Initiative to reaffirm the campus’s values and commitment to one another. The initiative included creation of "Beyond Tolerance Tuesday," collaboration with the Museum of Tolerance
, and the creation of a speakers series and the Civility Project, which began with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
.
Under Katehi's leadership, UC Davis co-hosted the Governors' Global Climate Summit 3: Building the Green Economy in November 2010. Participants included Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
, the United Nations Development Programme
, and the United Nations Environment Programme
. The summit’s focus was to continue to build subnational collaboration on policies and strategies to stimulate economic growth, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, create green jobs, promote clean energy solutions and reduce greenhouse gas pollution.
protesters on the UC Davis campus to remove their tents from the quad. When a group of non-compliant protestors refused to move, campus police officers pepper spray
ed them. Eleven protesters received medical treatment; two were hospitalized. The incident led to further protests and calls for Katehi's resignation from the 100-member UC Davis Faculty Association, the UC Davis Department of English, and a majority of the faculty of the UC Davis physics department, among others. The UC Davis Academic Senate, which represents the entire faculty, did not immediately announce its position publicly. Senate Chair Linda Bisson criticized Katehi's slow response in providing information and taking disciplinary action against police, but she said most faculty want Katehi to stay in her post while being held accountable in some way. Katehi stated that she will not step down, instead encouraging the development of public discussion of the matter.
On November 19, Katehi called for creation of a task force to review the incident and report their findings and recommendations within 90 days. Katehi said she took "full responsibility for the incident" and placed two officers and the chief of campus police on administrative leave. Katehi and State Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez requested an outside investigation, and Mark G. Yudof appointed former Los Angeles Police Department
Chief William J. Bratton
to head the investigation.
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and university administrator. Since 2009, she has served as the sixth chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
.
Early life and education
Katehi was born in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and grew up on Salamis Island
Salamis Island
Salamis , is the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about 1 nautical mile off-coast from Piraeus and about 16 km west of Athens. The chief city, Salamina , lies in the west-facing core of the crescent on Salamis Bay, which opens into the Saronic Gulf...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. She received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens
National Technical University of Athens
The National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....
, Greece, in 1977.
Katehi, as a student, participated in the uprising
Athens Polytechnic uprising
The Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 was a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. The uprising began on November 14, 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta, anti-US and anti-imperialist revolt and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of November...
against the dictatorial regime that occurred at that university in 1973, an uprising that was violently crushed on November 17 by a combined military and police force.
She came to the United States in 1979, then earned a master’s degree and doctorate in electrical engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of California, Los Angeles was opened with an enrollment of 379 students in the fall of 1945. It opened as the College of Engineering until it was changed to school on February 21, 1969. The School now has seven...
, University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, in 1981 and 1984, respectively.
Work
Katehi's work in electronic circuit designElectronic circuit design
Electronic design comprises the analysis and synthesis of electronic circuits-Methods:To design any electrical circuit, either analog or digital, electrical engineers need to be able to predict the voltages and currents at all places within the circuit...
has led to numerous national and international awards both as a technical leader and educator, 19 U.S. patents, and an additional five U.S. patent applications. She is the author or co-author of 10 book chapters and about 650 refereed publications in journals and symposia proceedings.
A member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
, she chaired until 2010 the President’s Committee for the National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
and the Secretary of Commerce’s committee for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. She is a fellow and board member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
and a member of other national boards and committees, including the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board
National Security Higher Education Advisory Board
The National Security Higher Education Advisory Board was created by American Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert S. Mueller III on 15 December, 2005...
.
In April 2011, Katehi was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. She is also on the Board of Directors of John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
.
Previously held positions include the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, and associate dean for academic affairs and graduate education in the College of Engineering and professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Katehi has mentored
Mentorship
Mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person....
more than 70 postdoctoral fellows, doctoral and master’s students in electrical and computer engineering. Twenty-two of the forty-four doctoral students who graduated under her supervision have become faculty members at research universities in the United States and abroad.
University of Illinois
Before coming to UC Davis, Katehi served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. She oversaw the admissions office during much of the time period that came to be investigated as part of the University of Illinois clout scandal
University of Illinois clout scandal
The University of Illinois clout scandal resulted from a series of articles in the Chicago Tribune which reported that some applicants to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign "received special consideration" for acceptance between 2005 and 2009, despite having sub-par qualifications. ...
. Katehi denied involvement, saying the "Category I" decisions were made at higher administrative levels.
University of California, Davis
Katehi was appointed chancellorChancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
by the University of California Board of Regents on May 7, 2009, effective August 17, 2009. She holds UC Davis faculty appointments in electrical and computer engineering and in women and gender studies. Katehi charged a committee with creating a new "Vision of Excellence" for the school. She also launched several blue ribbon committees: tech transfer and commercialization, research, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
excellence, and organizational excellence. Katehi also created the Chancellor's Colloquium Distinguished Speaker Series to bring together distinguished scholars and government leaders who promise intellectual spark and enriching engagement with our academic community As of 2009, Katehi's base annual salary was $400,000.
In response to acts of hate and intolerance on campus in 2010, Katehi launched the Hate-Free Campus Initiative to reaffirm the campus’s values and commitment to one another. The initiative included creation of "Beyond Tolerance Tuesday," collaboration with the Museum of Tolerance
Museum of Tolerance
The Museum of Tolerance , a multimedia museum in Los Angeles, California, USA, with an associated museum and professional development multi-media training facility in New York City, is designed to examine racism and prejudice in the United States and the world with a strong focus on the history of...
, and the creation of a speakers series and the Civility Project, which began with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
.
Under Katehi's leadership, UC Davis co-hosted the Governors' Global Climate Summit 3: Building the Green Economy in November 2010. Participants included Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
, and the United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...
. The summit’s focus was to continue to build subnational collaboration on policies and strategies to stimulate economic growth, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, create green jobs, promote clean energy solutions and reduce greenhouse gas pollution.
2011 Occupy protest
On November 18, 2011, Katehi ordered Occupy movementOccupy movement
The Occupy movement is an international protest movement which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality. The first Occupy protest to be widely covered was Occupy Wall Street in New York City, taking place on September 17, 2011...
protesters on the UC Davis campus to remove their tents from the quad. When a group of non-compliant protestors refused to move, campus police officers pepper spray
Pepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
ed them. Eleven protesters received medical treatment; two were hospitalized. The incident led to further protests and calls for Katehi's resignation from the 100-member UC Davis Faculty Association, the UC Davis Department of English, and a majority of the faculty of the UC Davis physics department, among others. The UC Davis Academic Senate, which represents the entire faculty, did not immediately announce its position publicly. Senate Chair Linda Bisson criticized Katehi's slow response in providing information and taking disciplinary action against police, but she said most faculty want Katehi to stay in her post while being held accountable in some way. Katehi stated that she will not step down, instead encouraging the development of public discussion of the matter.
On November 19, Katehi called for creation of a task force to review the incident and report their findings and recommendations within 90 days. Katehi said she took "full responsibility for the incident" and placed two officers and the chief of campus police on administrative leave. Katehi and State Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez requested an outside investigation, and Mark G. Yudof appointed former Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
Chief William J. Bratton
William J. Bratton
William Joseph "Bill" Bratton CBE is an American law enforcement officer who served as the chief of police of the Los Angeles Police Department , New York City Police Commissioner, and Boston Police Commissioner....
to head the investigation.
External links
- Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi via University of California, Davis
- Distinguished Alumnus: Linda Katehi via University of California, Los Angeles Engineering
- Linda Katehi on Davis Wiki