The UC Davis provost, vice chancellors and deans listed here issued this statement today (March 11):

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As vice chancellors and deans, we work with Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi on a daily basis. Some of us have done so for five years or longer. We stand with her and support her as the uniquely visionary and caring leader she is.

With her recent resignation from the board of DeVry, we believe she has taken full responsibility for accepting service on the board. But it is wrong to imagine that any university leader invests time in an outside entity without seeing how it can help her be a better leader of her home institution, primarily for the students who study there.

Meanwhile, her service on the John Wiley & Sons board complied with university policy. Chancellor Katehi accepted the Wiley appointment to help improve the quality of its educational materials and to make those materials more accessible and affordable for students. She recognized an opportunity to learn about the world of academic and textbook publishing because of the costs textbooks represent for both our students and higher education institutions themselves.

As those who work with her closely, we can assure you that Chancellor Katehi cares deeply about and works tirelessly — every day, around the clock — for the betterment of UC Davis. She has been an incredibly successful fundraiser, launched innovative new initiatives, and, during challenging budget times, kept UC Davis among the top ranks of public research universities worldwide. In the countless meetings she attends with leaders in every sector — education, business and government — she enhances the educational and intellectual development of UC Davis for its faculty and students, keeping us on the cutting edge of higher education.

On a daily basis we watch Chancellor Katehi put the mission of UC Davis and the education of students first and foremost. We stand by her and look forward to having her leadership for many years to come.

Signed,

Ralph J. Hexter, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Dave Lawlor, Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer

Adela de la Torre, Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs and Campus Diversity

Harris Lewin, Vice Chancellor, Research

Shaun Keister, Vice Chancellor, Development and Alumni Relations

Julie Freischlag, Vice Chancellor, Human Health Sciences, and Dean, School of Medicine

Helene Dillard, Dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Jennifer Curtis, Dean, College of Engineering

Harold Levine, Dean, School of Education

Kevin Johnson, Dean, School of Law

Michael Lairmore, Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine

Peter Wainwright, Interim Dean, College of Biological Sciences

Susan Kaiser, Interim Dean, Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, College of Letters and Science

Alex Navrotsky, Interim Dean, Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, College of Letters and Science

Li Zhang, Interim Dean, Division of Social Sciences, College of Letters and Science

Paul McNeil, Dean, UC Davis Extension