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SUNG-MO "STEVE"
KANG, CHANCELLOR of UC MERCED
Chancellor
Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang
Steve Kang was appointed chancellor of the University of
California, Merced, on January 17, 2007 in a regular meeting
of the UC Regents. He begins his duties in Merced on March
1.
He presents an inspiring picture of UC’s newest campus
as we look down the road – a future where the campus’
growing prestige and innovation attract more and more bright
students from diverse backgrounds to prepare for the careers
of the 21st century.
Memorable Words
On growth:
“I want to make sure we are building infrastructure
to last for UC Merced to be a leading research university
of the 21st century. This requires that we continually recruit
top talent for teaching, research and public service, build
new buildings and research institutes, and flawlessly execute
the steps we need to take toward accreditation and establishing
medical education.”
“In five years, I would like to achieve the stature
of a world-class, comprehensive university with excellence
in targeted areas, and to take the necessary steps toward
beginning medical education. I also want to establish strong
education partnership programs with other institutions in
the Valley and excellent collaborations with surrounding communities.”
On academics:
“We will provide well balanced education that gives
our students the richest possible set of academic choices.
We also must equip our students with strong interdisciplinary
training and prepare them for global careers so that they
can navigate across cultural boundaries as their future jobs
may demand.”
On leadership:
“For dedicated people with innovation in mind, there’s
no need to micromanage. The sharing and joint ownership of
vision and goals is very important. All constituents should
be informed with timely, clear communication on important
matters. As the saying goes, knowledge is power.”
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On economic development:
“UC Merced is provided with a truly unique opportunity
for building a world-class research university in the underserved
San Joaquin Valley. We will strive to be the 21st century
model campus of the UC system in education and research to
benefit the community economically, environmentally and culturally.”
“I wish to see the San Joaquin Valley become a hub
of environment-friendly major industry such as biotechnology
and information technology. Perhaps the Valley can be the
Bio Valley as a complement to Silicon Valley and Wireless
Valley.”
On ethics:
“Building education on strong ethical ground is most
important, like establishing a new building on rock, rather
than on sands.”
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STEVE KANG
INAUGURATED CHANCELLOR OF UC MERCED IN CAMPUS CEREMONY
Kang unveils vision for next phase of campus
development; keynote speaker Arno Penzias
(Nobel laureate - physics, 1978)
addresses gathered dignitaries
MERCED - Sung-Mo " Steve" Kang, Ph.D., was inaugurated
as the second chancellor of the University of California,
Merced, today (Nov. 6) in a ceremony on the campus' academic
quad at 10 a.m.
Kang was joined on the platform by UC President
Robert C. Dynes and Regent Russell S. Gould, as well as other
UC and government officials.
The keynote speaker for the ceremony was Arno
Penzias, Ph.D., who received the Nobel Prize in physics in
1978.
The audience of more than 600 people included
UC Merced faculty, staff, students and invited friends of
the campus. |
Chancellor Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang, Ph.D.
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" UC Merced is just stepping into its new phase,
which, as an engineer, I would call, ' UC Merced 2.0,"
See
Inaugural Address of
Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang
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" UC Merced
is just stepping into its new phase, which, as an engineer,
I would call, ' UC Merced 2.0,"Kang told the assembled
crowd, emphasizing that the next phase of development would
be distinguished by innovation in every aspect of the campus'
endeavors.
As hallmarks of UC Merced 2.0, he mentioned
academic excellence, international partnerships, community
service programs, new management and medical schools, technology
for distance learning and medicine, entrepreneurship, and
continued efforts to reach underserved populations and improve
the quality of life in the San Joaquin Valley.
Kang' s speech invoked pioneers and leaders
like Abraham Lincoln, the early climbers of Half Dome in Yosemite
National Park, and the leaders, faculty and students who have
contributed to the founding of UC Merced.
" We have come a long way in the short
time our campus opened," Kang said. " Our well-loved
campus is thriving and poised for great achievements. As we
plant our roots deeply here in the shadows of Yosemite' s
Half Dome, it is now time for the other Half Dome of the highest
ideals and academic excellence to flourish." |
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UC President Robert C. Dynes told the audience that Kang'
s " bold vision for this young campus has galvanized
the region.
" His personal enthusiasm has endeared
him to faculty, students and staff," Dynes said. "
And his passion for innovation will help realize the founders'
vision of transforming the Valley."
Dynes continued, " Chancellor Steve Kang
will lead UC Merced into a new era of ascendancy and distinction.
And it will be my privilege and my joy to watch him do it."
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UC President Robert C. Dynes presents the medallion to
Chancellor Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang
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The keynote speaker for the ceremony was
Arno Penzias, Ph.D., who received the Nobel Prize in physics
in 1978.
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Penzias' keynote speech focused on the importance of public
support for higher education - he recalled his experiences
in the New York City public schools and City College of
New York. Like Kang and many UC Merced students, Penzias
was a first-generation college-goer. He called public education
" the foundation of the American Dream."
Penzias also noted UC Merced' s potential to
make a difference in the field of sustainable, clean energy
as the campus nurtures knowledge creation and technology.
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Kang was approved
by the UC Board of Regents as UC Merced' s new chancellor
Jan. 17. He began his appointment March 1, leaving behind
the deanship of UC Santa Cruz' Baskin School of Engineering.
He had spent seven years at Santa Cruz, following a professorship
of 15 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Kang continues his research in the design of
lower-power, very large-scale integrated (VLSI) circuits;
modeling and simulation of semiconductor devices and circuits;
nanoelectronics; and bioelectronics.
He completed his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. His undergraduate
work took place at Fairleigh-Dickinson University in New Jersey,
where he attended with scholarship support that brought him
to the United States from South Korea as the first person
in his family to attend college.
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Chancellor Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang with keynote
speaker Arno Penzias, Ph.D.
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This experience prepared Kang to lead the 10th UC campus in
its early years. More than half of UC Merced' s students are
first-generation college-goers, and more than 60 percent come
from underrepresented ethnic or socioeconomic groups.
Kang is also the first Korean-American to lead
a major research university. Significant interest from Korean
and Korean-American communities and media has followed his
appointment.
Kang' s predecessor, Carol Tomlinson-Keasey,
served for seven years as the leader of the new campus before
announcing her intention to step down in March 2006. Roderic
Park served as interim chancellor until Kang assumed his duties
March 1, 2007. |
Chancellor Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang in Recessional
after Inauguration
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Inauguration-related festivities continue this week with a
scholarship fundraiser luncheon today at noon; receptions
for students, faculty and staff; and a symposium with Kang
and other engineering faculty speaking about " Technology
and Society" at 2 p.m. Thursday in the California Room
on campus. The symposium is free and open to the public.
For more information About Chancellor Steve
Kang,
see http://chancellor.ucmerced.edu.
About today' s inauguration ceremony and
associated festivities,
see http://inauguration.ucmerced.edu.
About UC Merced, start with the campus home page at www.ucmerced.edu.
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Chancellor Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang meets with
media
after Inauguration
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March 26, 2007
UC
MERCED' S NEW CHANCELLOR MEETS
WITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS, UNIVERSITY MENTORS
Chancellor Steve Kang met with a group
of fourth and fifth-grade students who participate
in the UC Merced Police Department Mentoring Program
at Alicia Reyes Elementary School. This event is part
of Chancellor Kang' s San Joaquin Valley Listening
Tour, which is helping him learn more about the region
and strengthen ties between UC Merced and the Valley'
s communities
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UC Merced's Chancellor Steve Kang
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He spoke with the students, briefly introducing himself
and learning more about their participation in the
mentoring program. He also had a question
and answer session before joining them in a fun-filled
soccer game. |
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Last year,
in response to Chief Rita Spaur' s request for an outreach
program, Officers Nick Navarrette and Maria Botwright
implemented the UC Merced Police Department Mentoring
Program. The program started with 26 Trailblazers, or
UC Merced students, who volunteered their time to spend
lunch hours playing games and doing other activities
with a group of fourth- and fifth-grade students at
Alicia Reyes, and spending after-school hours conducting
a homework clinic called " T-Birds." There
are now 46 Trailblazers in the program.
More than 100 students at Alicia Reyes School take part
in the program, and through it, have begun thinking
about college as one of the options for their futures.
The children get to spend time on the UC campus, and
even get their own Junior Bobcat ID cards, like the
CatCards UC Merced students carry.
The children now feel a part of the UC Merced campus
community. |
Left to Right: Officers Maria Botwright, Nick Navarrette
and Chief Rita Spaur |
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Many of
the students at Alicia Reyes School will be the first
in their families to attend college. Many of them are
English-learners. It' s particularly appropriate, then,
that they get a visit from UC Merced' s new leader,
Chancellor Steve Kang. He is also a first-generation
college student, having come to the United States from
his native South Korea on a scholarship.
Chancellor Kang can attest to the importance of a college
education, can relate to these students, many of whom
come from low-income families, and can talk about his
role as the leader of their UC campus.
Click
here to learn more about
Alicia Reyes Elementary School
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The
City of Atwater Welcomes Chancellor
Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang
Chancellor Kang has been meeting with education leaders,
students, a variety of community groups, elected officials
and journalists to further understand the issues and
challenges facing the San Joaquin Valley.
He has already stopped in numerous cities throughout
the Valley so he can hear directly from them about their
concerns and emphasize the relationships between them
and UC Merced, whose three-part mission includes education,
research and public service.
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Mayor
Joan Faul Welcomes Chancellor Kang and his wife Mia
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Chancellor
Kang and his wife Mia with members of the Atwater City
council
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Tayler
and Mallery Eppler provided Music for the reception
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Chancellor
Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang and his wife, Mia met
many of Atwater's public officials including the city
council, police and fire department personnel, educational
leaders, and citizens. Music was provided by Tayler
and Mallery Eppler of Hughson, California. After being
introduced by Mayor Joan Faul, Chancellor Kang spoke
on the roll of UC Merced in the community and of its
relationship with the cities of the San Joaquin Valley.
The event was catered by Starfish Catering of Atwater. |
Among
those at the reception were left to right:
Holly Holt ( Miss Atwater); Lee Andersen ( County Superintendent
of Schools); Rudy Albritton (Merced County Board of
Education) and his wife Nancy
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Reception Attendees Listen as Chancellor Kang
explains the relationships between the cities and UC
Merced whose three-part mission includes education,
research and public service.
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