The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the
governing board of the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
(UC), a
state university system
A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, territory or federal district. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country.
State univers ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The Board of Regents has 26 voting members, the majority of whom are appointed by the
Governor of California
The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard.
Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...
to serve 12-year terms.
The regents establish university policy; make decisions that determine student cost of attendance, admissions, employee compensation, and land management; and perform long-range planning for all UC campuses and locations. The regents also control the investment of UC's endowment, and they supervise the making of contracts between the UC and private companies.
The structure and composition of the Board of Regents is laid out in the
California Constitution
The Constitution of California ( es, Constitución de California) is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of California. California's original co ...
, which establishes that the University of California is a "public trust" and that the regents are a "corporation" that has been granted the power to manage the trust on the public's behalf. The constitution grants the regents broad
institutional autonomy
Academic freedom is a moral and legal concept expressing the conviction that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy as well as the principles of academia, and that scholars should have freedom to teach ...
,
giving them "full powers of organization and government."
According to article IX, section 9, subsection (a), "the regents are "subject only to such legislative control as may be necessary to insure the security of its funds and compliance with the terms of the endowments of the university".
History
Section 11 of the Organic Act establishing the University of California begins with the following sentence: "The general government and superintendence of the University shall vest in a Board of Regents, to be denominated the 'Regents of the University of California,' who shall become incorporated under the general laws of the State of California by that corporate name and style."
[Se]
Cal. Stats., 17th sess., 1867–1868, ch. 244, § 11
As required by Section 11, the Board of Regents proceeded to form a corporation denominated the Regents of the University of California on June 12, 1868, and filed the certificate of incorporation on June 18, 1868 with the
California Secretary of State
The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeho ...
. The corporation's official name today is still the Regents of the University of California. Today, it is unusual for universities (or any other kind of corporation) to incorporate in the names of their boards, but it used to be a common practice among American universities. For example,
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
is still legally incorporated as the
President and Fellows of Harvard College
The President and Fellows of Harvard College (also called the Harvard Corporation or just the Corporation) is the smaller and more powerful of Harvard University's two governing boards, and is now the oldest corporation in America. Together with ...
.
Incorporating the university under the exact same name as its board was just as confusing in the 19th century as it is today. In an 1894 wrongful death case, the plaintiffs did not understand this; they sued 16 regents individually, which forced the
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...
to analyze Section 11 and the June 18, 1868 certificate to hold that the original members of the Board of Regents had properly formed a corporation as a
legal entity
In law, a legal person is any person or 'thing' (less ambiguously, any legal entity) that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – such as enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own property, and so on. The reason for ...
distinct from themselves. Therefore, the current members of that board could not be held liable in their individual capacities for the torts of the corporation.
The current Board of Regents is a "policy board," as a result of reforms unanimously adopted from 1957 to 1960 at the instigation of
UC President Clark Kerr. Before Kerr's reforms, the regents operated as an "administrative board" (in Kerr's words) for almost a century. The board met 12 times per year and its finance committee (with full authority to act on behalf of the board) met an additional 11 times, and the university budget was excruciatingly detailed. The result was that the board collectively supervised every aspect of university affairs—no matter how trivial or minor. One sign of the regents' unusually extreme level of
micromanagement
In business management, micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes, controls, and/or reminds the work of their subordinates or employees.
Micromanagement is generally considered to have a negative connotation, main ...
during this period was that it was seen as a major milestone when acting UC President
Martin Kellogg
Martin Kellogg (March 15, 1828 – August 26, 1903) was born in Vernon, Connecticut
Vernon is the most populous town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 30,215 at the 2020 census. Vernon contains the smaller ...
gained the power in 1891 to independently hire janitors (as long as he reported on what he had done at the next meeting of the regents).
Another example is that until 1901, replacements for lost diplomas required the approval of the regents.
At Kerr's encouragement, the Board of Regents cut down on the number of meetings, delegated powers and responsibilities to the university president and the campus chancellors, delegated more power to the Academic Senate, simplified the UC budget, and greatly reduced the amount of detail that flowed upwards to the regents.
Composition
The majority of the board (18 Regents) is appointed via nomination by the
Governor of California
The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard.
Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...
and confirmation by the
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...
to 12-year terms. One
student Regent is selected by the Board to represent the students for a one-year term through a hiring process that is conducted by the board. The remaining 7 Regents are
ex officio members
An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term ''ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...
. They are the
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
,
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
, Speaker of the
State Assembly,
State Superintendent of Public Instruction, President and Vice President of the Alumni Associations of UC, and President of the University of California.
The Board also has two non-voting
faculty representatives and two non-voting Staff Advisors. The incoming student Regent serves as a non-voting Regent-designate from the date of selection (usually between July and October) until beginning their formal term the following July 1.
The vast majority of the Regents appointed by the Governor historically have consisted of lawyers, politicians and businessmen. Over the past two decades, it has been common that UC Regents appointees have donated relatively large sums of money either directly to the Governor's
election campaigns
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referend ...
or indirectly to party election groups.
Administrative support is provided to the Regents by the Office of the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Regents of the University of California, which shares an office building with the UC Office of the President in
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
.
Significant corruption scandals
In 2007, the Board of Regents signed
the EBI contract
''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
, a $50 million university privatization contract funded by the
BP oil company.
The contract gave financial control over all clean energy research at UC Berkeley to
BP, with $15 million directed towards proprietary research allowing the oil company able to keep around a third of the patents produced by the academic employees while also financially controlling all other clean energy research upon the campus. The contract likewise allowed BP oil to construct a building on the UC Berkeley campus with entire floors that only BP employees are allowed to enter.
Before the signing of the contract, a number of environmental organizations, including
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
penned a letter to the regents, which was read during the regents meeting on November 2, 2007, which stated "The prospect of giant carbon polluters directing research related to and gaining control of key energy technologies is very troubling – especially when the research is conducted at, and the technologies are developed in collaboration with, public institutions." Following the signing of the contract by the UC Regents, professors complained that BP Oil bypassed normal university hiring and tenure protocol and hired professors directly, without consulting any academic department. Opponents have also argued this and other privatization contracts are a way to replace middle class engineering jobs with cheap graduate student labor.
Regent
Richard C. Blum
Richard Charles Blum (July 31, 1935 – February 27, 2022) was an American investor and the husband of United States Senator Dianne Feinstein. He was the chairman and president of Blum Capital, an equity investment management firm. Blum wa ...
, financier and husband to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, served on the board of regents' Investment Committee. Allegations of conflicts of interest have arisen because, during Blum's tenure, UC has invested hundreds of millions of dollars where he had concurrent business interests.
According to an investigation by the
Sacramento News & Review
The ''News & Review'' is a group of free alternative weekly newspapers published by Chico Community Publishing, Inc. of Chico, California. The company publishes the ''Chico News & Review'' in Chico, California, the ''Sacramento News & Review'' in ...
, conflict-of-interest dealings by the UC Board of Regents accelerated in the years prior to the 2008 recession. Beginning in 2003, "
mbers of the board of regents benefited from the placement of hundreds of millions of university dollars into investments, private deals and publicly held enterprises with significant ties to their own personal business activities, while simultaneously increasing the cost of university attendance."
Additionally, the investigation found that some members of the regents’ investment committee, individuals who are also "Wall Street heavy hitters," modified long-standing UC investment policies, specifically, steering away from investing in more traditional instruments (such as blue-chip stocks and bonds) toward largely unregulated and risky "alternative" investments, such as private equity and private real-estate deals.
These changes in UC investment policy brought personal gain to individual members of the board of regents Investment committee, while also reducing the funds within the UC endowment that might have otherwise been used to cover costs related to the operations of the university.
In May 2017, ''
The San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...
'' reported that the Regents had been hosting costly
dinner parties
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...
using university funds.
Only after extensive public outcry, university leadership released a statement saying the university would no longer fund these dinners.
In 1970, the California state auditor found that regent Edwin W. Pauley, who owned Pauley Petroleum, personally profited when university officials steered $10.7 million dollars into one of his company's business deals.
In 1970, the California state auditor investigated regent William French Smith and regent Edward Carter for conflict of interest dealings. The actions investigated included the joint purchase of a $253,750 piece of property for Carter's personal use, with the university paying $178,750 and Carter paying the remaining $75,000.
Smith, who was Governor Reagan's personal lawyer and a Reagan appointee to the board, was a lawyer at the law firm representing the
Irvine Company
The Irvine Company LLC is an American private company focused on real estate development. It is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a large portion of its operations centered in and around Irvine, California, a planned city of more ...
, a private real estate company. Carter was a lifetime board member of the
Irvine Foundation The James Irvine Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit organization established to benefit the people of California. The foundation's grantmaking focuses on a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically.
The fou ...
, which has a controlling interest in the
Irvine Company
The Irvine Company LLC is an American private company focused on real estate development. It is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a large portion of its operations centered in and around Irvine, California, a planned city of more ...
.
In 1965, free-speech movement activist
Marvin Garson responded to a call by the California Federation of Teachers to "investigate the composition and operation of the Board of Regents." He produced a 19-page report documenting prior cases of corruption, concluding that, "taken as a group, the Regents are representatives of only one thing—corporate wealth."
Regents
Appointed regents
The eighteen appointed regents are appointed by the Governor of California to serve 12-year terms.
Student regent
The student regent is hired by the board of regents to serve for a 1-year term.
Student Regent:
*Marlenee Blas Pedra, appointed in 2022 by the board of regents, term expires June 30, 2023
''Ex officio'' regents
The Ex officio regents serve on the board of regents by virtue of holding positions elsewhere.
''Ex officio'' regents:
*
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...
(Governor of California)
*
Eleni Kounalakis
Eleni Kounalakis (née Tsakopoulos; born March 3, 1966) is an American politician, businesswoman, and former diplomat serving as the 50th lieutenant governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman elect ...
(Lieutenant Governor of California)
*
Anthony Rendon
Anthony Michael Rendon (, ; born June 6, 1990) is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and was a member of the Nationals' 2019 World S ...
(Speaker of the California State Assembly)
*
Tony Thurmond
Tony Krajewski Thurmond (born August 21, 1968) is an American politician and educator who is the 28th and current California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Thurmond was narrowly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2018 ...
(California Superintendent of Public Instruction)
*
Michael V. Drake
Michael Vincent Drake (born July 9, 1950) is an American university administrator and physician who is the 21st president of the University of California. From 2014 to June 2020, he was the 15th president of Ohio State University. From 2005 to 2 ...
(UC President)
*
Sandra Timmons (President, Alumni Associations of UC, 2022–2023)
*
Amanda Pouchot (Vice-President, Alumni Associations of UC, 2022–2023)
Non-voting participants
The following positions do not carry voting abilities or regent status.
Regents-designate
Regents-designate are non-voting participants who are scheduled to transition to full board membership at later date.
* Keith Ellis
(given alumni Regent-designate status 2022; designate status expires June 30, 2023)
* Joel Raznick
(given alumni Regent-designate status 2022; designate status expires June 30, 2023)
* Marhawi Tasfai
(given student Regent-designate status 2022; designate status expires June 30, 2023)
Faculty Representatives
Faculty Representatives to the Regents are non-voting participants who may be assigned as representatives to certain committees.
* Kum-Kum Bhavnani
(became a representative in 2018; representative status expires August 31, 2020)
* Mary Gauvain
(became a representative in 2019; representative status expires August 31, 2021)
Staff Advisors
Non-voting participants who are assigned as representatives to Regents' committees.
* Lucy Tseng,
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022)
* Priya Lakireddy,
UC Merced
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) is a public land-grant research university and Hispanic-serving institution located in Merced, California, and is the tenth and newest of the University of California (UC) campuses. Established ...
(Staff advisor-designate, July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022; Staff Advisor, July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023)
Past Regents
Past Appointed Regents
*
Richard C. Blum
Richard Charles Blum (July 31, 1935 – February 27, 2022) was an American investor and the husband of United States Senator Dianne Feinstein. He was the chairman and president of Blum Capital, an equity investment management firm. Blum wa ...
(2002-2022)
ppointed by Gov. Davis; died in office*
Laphonza Butler (2018-2021)
ppointed by Gov. Brown; resigned*
Ellen Tauscher
Ellen O'Kane Tauscher (November 15, 1951 – April 29, 2019) was an American businesswoman, diplomat, and Democratic Party politician who was the U.S. representative for California's 10th congressional district from 1997 to 2009. From 2009 to 2012 ...
(2017-2019)
ppointed by Gov. Brown; died in office*
George Kieffer
George David Kieffer (born November 17, 1947) is a Los Angeles-based lawyer, author, civic leader and composer. He is a past chair and member of the Board of Regents of the University of California. He is a principal co-author of the Los Ange ...
(2009-2021)
ppointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger*
Charlene Zettel (2009-2021)
ppointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger*
Bonnie Reiss (2008-2020)
ppointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger*
William De La Peña (2006-2018)
ppointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger*
Bruce D. Varner (2006-2018)
ppointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger*
Ben Allen (2007–2008)
*
Gerry Parsky (1996–2008)
*
John J. Moores (1999–2007)
*
David S. Lee (1994–2006)
*
Ward Connerly
Wardell Anthony "Ward" Connerly (born June 15, 1939) is an American political and anti-affirmative action activist, businessman, and former University of California Regent (1993–2005). He is also the founder and the chairman of the American Civi ...
(1993–2005)
*
Dolores Huerta
Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta (born April 10, 1930) is an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, is a co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizi ...
(2003–2004)
*
Howard H. Leach (1990–2001)
*
Stephen Nakashima (1989-2001)
*
Clair Burgener
Clair Walter Burgener (December 5, 1921 – September 9, 2006) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1983.
Early life
Clair Burgener was born in Vernal, Utah, and grew up ...
(1988–1997)
*
John F. Henning (1989–1997)
*
Tirso del Junco
Tirso Del Junco (born April 20, 1925) is an American politician who served as chair of the Republican Party of California, and the head of the University of California board of regents. He is also a former Olympic rower and a medical doctor.
Ea ...
(1985–1997)
*
Willis Harman
Willis W. Harman (August 16, 1918 – January 30, 1997) was an American engineer, futurist, and author associated with the human potential movement. He was convinced that late industrial civilization faced a period of major cultural crisis which ...
(1980–1990)
*
William French Smith
William French Smith II (August 26, 1917 – October 29, 1990) was an American lawyer and the 74th United States Attorney General. After attaining his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1942, Smith went on to join the law firm of Gibson, Du ...
(1968–1990)
*
Sheldon Andelson (1982–1987)
*
Janice Eberly
Janice Caryl "Jan" EberlyHilary Hurd Anyaso Northwestern University News, Apr. 24, 2013. Accessed Jan. 11, 2014.Debbie RamseyFallbrook grad nominated for U.S. Dept. of Treasury post ''Fallbrook Bonsall Village News'', Aug. 11, 2011. Accessed Jan. ...
(1985–1986)
*
Gregory Bateson
Gregory Bateson (9 May 1904 – 4 July 1980) was an English anthropologist, social scientist, linguist, visual anthropologist, semiotician, and cyberneticist whose work intersected that of many other fields. His writings include '' Steps to an ...
(1976–1980)
*
William Coblentz
William Weber Coblentz (November 20, 1873 – September 15, 1962) was an American physicist notable for his contributions to infrared radiometry and spectroscopy.
Early life, education, and employment
William Coblentz was born in North Lima, ...
(1964–1980)
*
Yvonne Burke (1979)
*
Fred Dutton
Frederick Gary Dutton (June 16, 1923 – June 27, 2005) was a lawyer and Democratic Party power broker who served as campaign manager and Chief of Staff for California Governor Pat Brown, Special Assistant to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and w ...
(1962–1978)
*
William M. Roth
William Matson Roth (September 3, 1916 – May 29, 2014) was an American shipping executive, special ambassador for trade, member of the ACLU executive committee, and Regent for the University of California. He is credited with the preservation of ...
(1961–1977)
*
Elinor Raas Heller
Elinor Raas Heller (October 3, 1904 – August 15, 1987) was an American academic administrator. From 1961–1976 she was a Regent of the University of California. She served as Chair in 1975–1976, and Vice-Chair in 1968–1969 and 1971–1972 ...
(1961–1976)
*
Norton Simon
Norton Winfred Simon (February 5, 1907 – June 2, 1993) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He was at one time one of the wealthiest men in America. At the time of his death, he had amassed a net worth of nearly US$10 billion.
S ...
(1960–1976)
*
Edwin W. Pauley
Edwin Wendell Pauley Sr. (January 7, 1903 – July 28, 1981) was an American businessman and political leader.
Early life
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Elbert L. Pauley and the former Ellen Van Petten, he attended Occidental College, in nor ...
(1940–1972)
*
Dorothy Buffum Chandler
Dorothy Buffum Chandler (May 19, 1901 – July 6, 1997; born Dorothy Mae Buffum) was a Los Angeles cultural leader. She is perhaps best known for her efforts on behalf of the performing arts.
Personal life
Born Dorothy Mae Buffum (nicknamed "Buff ...
(1954–1968)
*
H. R. Haldeman
Harry Robbins Haldeman (October 27, 1926 – November 12, 1993) was an American political aide and businessman, best known for his service as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon and his consequent involvement in the Watergate s ...
(President, AAUC, 1965–1967; 1968)
*
William E. Forbes William E. Forbes (May 30, 1906 – August 14, 1999) was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of California and owner of the Southern California Music Co. His tenure as regent coincided with the turbulent student protests of the 1960s. ...
(1960–1961, 1962)
*
Thomas M. Storke (1955–1960)
*
Chester W. Nimitz (1948–1956)
*
John Francis Neylan
John Francis Neylan (November 6, 1885 - August 19, 1960) was an American lawyer, journalist, political and educational figure.
Biography
Neylan was born in New York City. After graduation from Seton Hall College in New Jersey in 1903, he we ...
(1928–1955)
*
Stanley Mosk
Morey Stanley Mosk (September 4, 1912 – June 19, 2001) was an American jurist, politician, and attorney. He served as Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court for 37 years (1964–2001), the longest tenure in that court's history.
...
(1940–1941)
*
Paul Peek (1939–1940)
*
William H. Crocker
William Henry Crocker I (January 13, 1861 – September 25, 1937) was an American banker, the president of Crocker National Bank and a prominent member of the Republican Party.
Early life
Crocker was born on January 19, 1861 in Sacramento, Califo ...
(1908–1937)
*
William John Cooper
William John Cooper (November 24, 1882 – September 19, 1935) was an American educator who served as US Commissioner of Education from February 1929 to July 1933.
According to the ''New York Times'': "His fundamental theory of education, which ...
(1927–1929)
*
Phoebe Hearst
Phoebe Elizabeth Apperson Hearst (December 3, 1842 – April 13, 1919) was an American philanthropist, feminist and suffragist. Hearst was the founder of the University of California Museum of Anthropology, now called the Phoebe A. Hearst Mus ...
(1897–1919)
*
Stanley Sheinbaum (1977–1989)
*
Charles Stetson Wheeler
Charles Stetson Wheeler (December 12, 1863 – April 27, 1923) was an American attorney who served as a Regent of the University of California, and he was a member of the Committee of Fifty working to maintain order after the devastating fire f ...
(1892–1896, 1902–1907, 1911–1923)
*
Leland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American industrialist and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 8th governor of California from 1862 to 1863 and represented California in the United States Se ...
(1882–1883)
*
Timothy Guy Phelps
Timothy Guy Phelps (December 20, 1824 – June 11, 1899) was an American politician, businessman and government official. He was the first president of the Southern Pacific Railroad from 1865 until 1868 and saw the railroad build its first track ...
(1880–1899)
*
Benjamin B. Redding
Benjamin Barnard Redding (January 17, 1824 – August 21, 1882) was a Canadian-born politician of California; after joining the gold rush as a young man, he served in the state house, as mayor of Sacramento, Secretary of State for Californi ...
(1880–1882)
*
Samuel Merritt
Dr Samuel Merritt (1822–1890) was a physician and the 13th mayor of Oakland, California, from 1867–1869. He was a founding Regent of the University of California, 1868-1874. He was also a shipmaster and a very successful businessman; he die ...
(1868-1874)
ounding Regents appointed by Gov. Haightref name="Gov Haight appts">
Past Honorary Regents
In its early years, UC had thirteen Honorary Regents, with eight elected in 1868.
[ "Honorary Regents" were full board members, with the word "Honorary" simply denoting their manner of selection (that is, they were ''elected'' to serve on the board by the other board members, instead of being appointed by the governor). Some were then appointed to another term, following their term as Honorary Regent, by the governor. One (Tompkins) was re-elected.
* ]Frederick Low
Frederick Ferdinand Low (June 30, 1828July 21, 1894) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 9th Governor of California and a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Early life and education
Born in Frankfort ...
(1868), 9th Governor of California from 1863 to 1867; considered the "father of the University of California"
* Andrew J. Moulder (1868), State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1862–1863; a founder of Minns’ Evening Normal School in San Francisco in 1857 and of the first California State Normal School
The California State Normal School was a teaching college system founded on May 2, 1862, eventually evolving into San José State University in San Jose and the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles.
History
The school was creat ...
in San Jose, approved by the Legislature in 1862
* Edward Tompkins (1868–1872)
* Samuel F. Butterworth
Samuel Fowler Butterworth (November 1811 – May 6, 1875) was an American attorney, businessman, and honorary regent of the University of California.
Background
After graduating from Union College, Butterworth became a lawyer working under fello ...
(1868–1873)
* Joseph M. Moss (1868–1874)
* John B. Felton (1868–1877)
* Isaac Friedlander
Isaac Friedlander (1823–1878) was a wheat broker and major early California land speculator who was known as the Wheat King or the Grain King.
Biography
Friedlander was born in Oldenburg (city), Oldenburg, Germany, but as a child moved to Ch ...
(1868–1869)
* Augustus J. Bowie (1868–1880)
* William Chapman Ralston
William "Billy" Chapman Ralston (January 12, 1826 – August 27, 1875) was a San Francisco businessman and financier, and the founder of the Bank of California.
Biography
William Chapman Ralston was born at Wellsville, Ohio, son of Robert Ralsto ...
(1868:after Low resigned–1875), founder of the Bank of California
The Bank of California was opened in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1864, by William Chapman Ralston and Darius Ogden Mills. It was the first commercial bank in the Western United States, the second-richest bank in the nation, and considered ...
* John S. Hager
John Sharpenstein Hager (March 12, 1818March 19, 1890) was an American politician from the state of California. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1873 to 1875.
Life
Hager was born near Morristown, New Jersey, on March 12, 1818. He completed pre ...
(1868:after Moulder resigned–1890), California State Senator and district judge; United States Senator from California (1873–1875)
* Louis Sachs (1869–1875)
* Henry H. Haight (1872), 10th Governor of California; signed the Charter of the University of California on March 23, 1868
* Andrew Smith Hallidie
Andrew Smith Hallidie (March 16, 1836 – April 24, 1900) was the promoter of the Clay Street Hill Railroad in San Francisco, USA. This was the world's first practical cable car system, and Hallidie is often therefore regarded as the inventor of ...
(1873), "regarded as the inventor of the cable car and father of the present day San Francisco cable car system"; President of the San Francisco Mechanics' Institute
The Mechanics' Institute is a historic membership library, cultural event center, and chess club at 57 Post Street, San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1854, as a mechanics' institute, an educational and cultural institution, to serve the ...
1868–1877 and 1893–1895
Notable legal cases
* ''''
* ''Hamilton v. Regents of the University of California
''Hamilton v. Regents of the University of California'', 293 U.S. 245 (1934), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court upheld the "right of California to force its university students to take classes in military training" and reit ...
''
* ''Moore v. Regents of the University of California
''Moore v. Regents of the University of California'' was a landmark Supreme Court of California decision. Filed on July 9, 1990, it dealt with the issue of property rights to one's own cells taken in samples by doctors or researchers.
In 1976, J ...
''
* ''Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
''Regents of the University of California v. Bakke'', 438 U.S. 265 (1978) involved a dispute of whether preferential treatment for minorities can reduce educational opportunities for whites without violating the Constitution. The case was a la ...
''
* ''Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California
''Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California'', 17 Cal. 3d 425, 551 P.2d 334, 131 Cal. Rptr. 14 ( Cal. 1976), was a case in which the Supreme Court of California held that mental health professionals have a duty to protect individuals w ...
''
* ''USL v. BSDi
''USL v. BSDi'' was a lawsuit brought in the United States in 1992 by Unix System Laboratories against Berkeley Software Design, Inc and the Regents of the University of California over intellectual property related to the Unix operating system; a ...
''
References
External links
*
* Former Regents are listed chronologically a
UC Berkeley's history site
UC History Digital Archives (UC Regents from 1868 to 2003).
* Trombley, William. 1974
UC Regents: An Elite Club That Runs a Vast University
''Los Angeles Times'' (Sunday, June 23, 1974), pages II-1, II-7, II-8.
UC Democracy Project
2008 Meet the Regents article
{{Authority control
University of California
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...