UCLA names vice chancellor

Friday, January 15, 1999

UCLA names vice chancellor

APPOINTMENT: Interim administrator rewarded with permanent
position

By Lawrence Ferchaw

Daily Bruin Staff

Chancellor Albert Carnesale made one of his interim appointments
permanent Thursday when he announced the appointment of Michael
Eicher to vice chancellor for external affairs.

The appointment, effective Jan. 1, removes the "interim" from
Eicher’s title; he has served in that position since Ted Mitchell
left the seat in July to become a vice president at the J. Paul
Getty Trust.

Eicher formerly held the position of associate vice chancellor
of development, where he oversaw fund raising.

In announcing the appointment, Carnesale highlighted Eicher’s
successes in leading Campaign UCLA, the university’s seven-year,
$1.2 billion fund-raising effort.

"The phenomenal success of Campaign UCLA is attributable in
large part to Mike Eicher’s superb leadership," Carnesale said in a
statement.

As vice chancellor, Eicher will continue to oversee the effort,
and Carnesale added that Eicher’s continued role would be important
to raising the remaining $400 million by 2002, when the campaign is
scheduled to end.

Eicher is currently leading an alumni trip in Africa and was
unavailable for comment.

The external affairs division coordinates relations between the
university and outside groups. Offices include government and
community relations, the alumni association, finance and
information management, university communications and
development.

Colleagues in external affairs offered praise for Eicher and
said they looked forward to continuing to work with him.

"He’s a terrific person to work with," said Keith Brant,
executive director of the UCLA Alumni Association. "It’s a good
thing for external affairs."

Unlike Mitchell, who served simultaneously as dean of the
Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, Eicher will
hold this one position, which Brant said would be good for the
division.

"Ted’s interest was higher education in general. We suffered not
having one person focusing 100 percent," Brant said.

Eicher’s selection did not involve a formal search process or an
advisory committee, unlike most administrative appointments. This
is all within the chancellor’s power, according to Karen Mack, a
university spokeswoman.

"The chancellor has the authority to make executive decisions
with the input of members of his administration," Mack said.

UC president Richard Atkinson approved of the appointment before
it was offered to Eicher. The UC Board of Regents approved his
$185,000 per year salary at their meeting on Thursday.

According to one source in external affairs, the decision to
appoint Eicher was a "no-brainer."

"When the chancellor consulted with others, they told him ‘the
best available guy is working for you,’" said the source, who asked
not to be identified.

Members of Eicher’s department said that raising money would not
become the sole focus of the department, even though Eicher’s
background is in fund-raising.

"The interests are just too broad," Brant said of external
affairs.

Eicher graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in sociology.
He went on to the executive program for academic health care
management at the Anderson School at UCLA.

At UCLA, Eicher joined the health sciences development staff in
1986 and rose to the position of vice provost for development. From
1991 until 1995, he served as the associate director of university
development.

By 1996, Eicher was promoted to associate vice chancellor.

Rhea Turteltaub, assistant vice chancellor of development, will
become the interim associate vice chancellor of that department. A
selection process will begin soon to fill that position
permanently. With this interim appointment, four senior positions
within external affairs still need to be filled with permanent
appointments.

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