FILE - In this April 25, 2012 file photo, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. U.S. officials say Napolitano is resigning to take a senior posting in the University of California system.
The University of California generated a national buzz on Friday with the surprising announcement that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano -- a political heavyweight, rather than a prominent academic -- would be its next leader.
Instead of becoming the next attorney general or Supreme Court justice, as many had speculated, Napolitano plans to come west to make history as UC's first female president. She will oversee the system's 10 campuses, five medical centers, 234,000 students and 208,000 employees if UC regents confirm her at their meeting Thursday in San Francisco.
She is leaving behind the third-largest federal department, which has a $60 billion budget and 240,000 employees.
"I recognize that I am a nontraditional candidate," Napolitano said in Friday's announcement. "In my experience ... I have found the best way to start is simply to listen."
Napolitano's nomination comes as the prized research university system looks for political and financial support after losing about $1 billion in state funding during the economic downturn. Some observers say the former Arizona governor could enjoy more credibility with California's lawmakers -- and Californians -- than an academic, who might be seen as disconnected from realities of the day.
With someone of Napolitano's stature and experience in the room, lawmakers "start from the presumption that this is a person who understands our problems," said Henry Brady, dean of
UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy.As if underscoring that point, Gov. Jerry Brown in a brief statement Friday praised the secretary's "outsider's mind."
Napolitano would succeed Mark Yudof, who, citing health problems, announced in January he would step down at the end of August. The regents are expected to vote on the appointment in a special session Thursday.
Students weary of tuition increases might be heartened by Napolitano's stance on fee hikes as governor of Arizona. In 2008, even as her state had a major budget deficit, she proposed freezing tuition for every student and giving waivers to those who kept at least a "B" average in high school.
Napolitano attended Santa Clara University and, in 1979, was its first female valedictorian. She went on to earn a law degree from the University of Virginia.
The former Arizona governor and attorney general was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2008 to head the Department of Homeland Security. She led the department through a series of changes in the post-9/11 era, including a focus on enforcing immigration laws.
A UC Davis law professor found her selection an interesting choice and promising.
"She's certainly skilled at
navigating challenging and divisive political waters," said Kevin Johnson, dean of the UC Davis School of Law.Napolitano might face some internal challenges, said John Aubrey Douglass, a senior fellow at UC Berkeley's Center for Studies in Higher Education. "It might take Napolitano, an outsider to the world of academia, a while to gain the full trust of faculty, and perhaps students," he said.
Some students who once feared Napolitano's agency were stunned to hear she could now be leading UC.
"What madness is this?" UC Davis student Steve Li wrote on his Facebook profile after hearing of the news. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an arm of Homeland Security, detained him for two months in an Arizona prison and nearly deported him to his native Peru.
Another student said she initially was taken aback by the nomination of such a high-profile political figure, but later decided it might not be such a bad thing.
"Maybe we do need a politician in that position now," said Ferheen Abbasi, a UC Berkeley student who said it made her "really, really happy" to see a woman nominated.
"I'd like to hope she'll be really great," Abbasi said. "You never really know until they start doing things."
Staff writer Matt O'Brien and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Janet Napolitano
Age: 55
Hometown: Phoenix
Father: Leonard Napolitano, former dean of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. The Oakland native also attended Santa Clara University.
Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, Santa Clara University; law degree, University of Virginia.
1991 highlight: Anita Hill's attorney during Senate testimony against Clarence Thomas' appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.
U.S. attorney: District of Arizona, 1993-98, appointed by President Bill Clinton
Arizona attorney general: 1998-2002
Arizona governor: 2002-08
Hobbies: Hiking, reading, baseball
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