UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry Yang will be stepping down at the end of the upcoming school year, and return to teaching and research as a professor, he announced on Wednesday.
Yang was appointed to the role in 1994, and is one of the longest-serving chancellors in the University of California system.
He thanked faculty, staff, students, administrators, and others in the campus community for their support, and reflected on the institution’s accomplishments during his tenure: from Nobel Prizes awarded to faculty to being ranked as a top-5 public university in the country.
Yang had a special word of thanks to his wife, Dilling, for “selflessly supporting our community without compensation” and “participating in the life of the campus in every way.”
In the next academic year, which starts in September, Yang said there is lots to do, including “planning for our next long-range development plan and capital campaign, several philanthropic buildings, ongoing recruitment and retention of faculty and staff, student and workforce housing, campus climate, Isla Vista improvements, increased access for students from diverse backgrounds, and much more.”
He has always loved teaching and research, he said, and has been able to teach at least one undergraduate course per year, even while serving as chancellor.
“Serving as the Chancellor of UC Santa Barbara has been the highest honor of my career. I look forward to returning to the classroom and lab after this academic year, and continuing to support our unparalleled community of students, faculty, and staff to the best of my abilities.”
Yang specializes in aerospace structures, structural dynamics, composite materials, finite elements, transonic aeroelasticity, wind and earthquake structural engineering, and intelligent manufacturing systems, according to UCSB.
“Grateful to UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang for 30 years of leadership and wish him the best as this chapter ends,” University of California President Michael Drake said in a statement Wednesday. “He will return to the faculty and leaves behind a legacy of excellence and public service. We will soon begin a search for his replacement.”
University chancellors are appointed by the UC Board of Regents.
Read Yang’s full announcement here.
“Over his distinguished tenure, Chancellor Yang positioned UCSB as a world class academic institution,” said Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps, who represents UCSB and Isla Vista. “He has exemplified a steady, thoughtful presence, particularly evident during critical community challenges such as the Isla Vista shooting. His quiet strength and genuine care for our community are hallmarks of his tenure. As a leader, he knows the value of showing up for others.
“Having known Chancellor Yang since the early days of his chancellorship — when I was in my early 20s and my father was a UCSB professor — I have witnessed firsthand his genuine support and kindness. The night after my father’s sudden passing, I will always remember Chancellor Yang’s unexpected and deeply touching gesture. He was there at the airport to greet my mother and me when we returned to Sant Barbara very late at night from Washington D.C. — standing quietly,” Capps said in a statement Wednesday.
“In my role as County Supervisor, working with Chancellor Yang has been a privilege. I am optimistic about the new path we are on for better housing and am eager to continue this progress in the coming year.”