OAKLAND – (INT) - University of California President Janet Napolitano will step down in August 2020. She announced her decision Wednesday after leading the university for seven years.

Ms. Napolitano says she plans to take time off before teaching at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley where she is currently a tenured professor.

Under her leadership, stabilizing tuition was chief among the president’s priorities, with the 2019-20 academic year marking the seventh time in eight years that UC froze in-state undergraduate tuition despite rising costs across all campuses.

She was previously secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and two-term governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009.

“We have new regents on UC’s governing board, a new governor in Sacramento, and a presidential election on the horizon. With many of my top priorities accomplished and the university on a strong path forward, I feel it’s the ideal time for a leadership transition — an infusion of new energy and fresh ideas at the university,” said Napolitano in a statement.

The UC Board of Regents will soon appoint a committee to start a national search for the next president.

Story Date: September 24, 2019