UC Davis chancellor found guilty of policy violation, resigns

This post was updated on Aug. 14 at 11 a.m.

University of California, Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi resigned Tuesday after a three-month investigation found she violated multiple University policies.

The investigation found that in addition, Katehi had exercised poor judgement and was insincere with University leadership, according to a statement by UC President Janet Napolitano. Her resignation is effective immediately, and she will transition to a full-time faculty position.

Katehi will still receive her salary of $424,360 plus retirement and health benefits, but she will not have to teach classes in her transition year.

Dianne Klein, UC spokesperson, said to the Sacramento Bee the purpose of the paid leave is to give Katehi time to transition to her faculty position. Klein added Katehi will have to repay her salary if she doesn’t return to the faculty and work for an entire year.

In 2013, UC Davis officials contracted consultants for at least $175,000 to remove Google search results of police pepper spraying students during a student protest in November 2011. The contracts also aimed to eliminate other negative postings and improve UC Davis’ image.

Katehi was placed on paid administrative leave in April for 90 days, after she refused to resign following reports about her role in the contracts, according to a letter from Napolitano. Napolitano said Katehi may have made misleading statements downplaying her role in the contracts.

Katehi was also accused of violating conflict-of-interest policies and misusing student fees by directing them toward unapproved instructional purposes, Napolitano said in the letter.

Napolitano said some questioned whether Katehi violated conflict-of-interest policies by giving her daughter-in-law repeated promotions. According to the letter, Katehi’s daughter-in-law received promotions over a two-and-a-half-year period that increased her pay by more than $50,000. Katehi also increased her daughter-in-law’s supervisor’s pay by 20 percent and placed her son’s research position under the supervision of her daughter-in-law’s department.

In March, Katehi resigned from a $70,000-a-year position in the DeVry Education group, an online for-profit education organization. Prior to her resignation, some questioned why she took the position, since the Federal Trade Commission was investigating the for-profit university for fraud.

In July, the Sacramento Bee found Katehi had used more than $174,000 in University funds to make dozens of international and out-of-state trips for conferences and networking. Expenses included first-class flights, rooms and limousines. Some expenses may have been used for Katehi’s husband and other staff members.

Interim Chancellor Ralph Hexter will stay on until the university finds a permanent replacement. Napolitano said the UC will form a committee immediately to conduct a nationwide search for a new chancellor.

Contributing reports from April Hoang, Campus Politics editor.