Georgia Tech dean is chosen to replace UC Davis chancellor who resigned under cloud

University of California President Janet Napolitano announced Tuesday that she has selected Gary May, a Georgia Tech dean and UC Berkeley alumnus, as her choice to become the seventh chancellor of UC Davis.May, an African American who has long supported...

Georgia Tech dean is chosen to replace UC Davis chancellor who resigned under cloud

University of California President Janet Napolitano announced Tuesday that she has selected Gary May, a Georgia Tech dean and UC Berkeley alumnus, as her choice to become the seventh chancellor of UC Davis.

May, an African American who has long supported promoting minorities in higher education, will replace Linda Katehi, who resigned last year after a UC investigation into her alleged conflicts of interest found she violated multiple university policies and misled her superiors, the public and the media.

In a statement, Napolitano praised May as a “dynamic leader and an accomplished scholar and engineer with a passion for helping others succeed.”

The UC Board of Regents will vote on the appointment during a special meeting at UCLA on Feb. 23. If approved, May will take over Aug. 1. In the meantime, Ralph Hexter will continue to serve as interim UC Davis chancellor.

May said he was excited by UC Davis’ commitment to quality education and research, diversity, faculty support and public service. “These values speak to my spirit, and I cannot wait to join the campus community," he said in a statement. 

May, 52, a native of St. Louis, has been at Georgia Tech for nearly three decades, most recently as dean of the College of Engineering. As the college’s chief academic officer, May leads more than 400 faculty members and 13,000 students. Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering graduates more engineers than any other college in the United States.

May received his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1985 and his master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from UC Berkeley, in 1988 and 1991 respectively. In 2010 he was named Berkeley’s outstanding electrical engineering alumnus.

His research specialty is computer-aided manufacturing of integrated circuits. He has written more than 200 technical publications, contributed to 15 books and holds a patent in the field. 

At Georgia Tech, May landed a $3-million grant from the National Science Foundation to create an undergraduate research program in engineering and science to increase the number of minority students pursuing a graduate degree. He also launched a program to increase the number of underrepresented minorities earning doctorates. 

Three-fourths of undergraduates in the diversity research program went on to graduate programs and 433 minority students have received doctorates in science or engineering at Georgia Tech — the most in the nation. The efforts prompted President Obama to award May the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in 2015.

“In my classes and early in my career, it always concerned me how few people like me there were,” May said in a statement. “By that I don’t mean smart or determined or curious people. I mean African Americans, and people of color in general, and also women. That’s when I became interested in finding ways to ensure equal access to education and opportunity. We need to nurture talent, for the good of the individual and for the benefit of us all.”

“Star Trek”, Lego and Erector sets, comic books and science fiction sparked May’s early interest in the STEM fields, according to a UC statement.

Ari Kelman, Chancellor’s Leadership professor of history at UC Davis and chair of the search committee’s faculty subcommittee, said May showed an enormous ability to “connect” with the campus community.

“He has an extraordinary mind and genuine commitment to the University of California’s public mission,” Kelman said in a statement.

May is married to LeShelle R. May, and they have two daughters, Simone and Jordan.

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(Video by Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

(Video by Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

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Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks about a working class world while discussing his new book “Our Revolution” with Los Angeles Times columnist and political cartoonist, David Horsey, at the Ideas Exchange event in The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on Feb. 19, 2017.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twitter: @teresawatanabe

 

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