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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
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Embattled UC Davis Chancellor Katehi Quits

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — University of California, Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi resigned Tuesday after an investigation revealed she violated an array of university rules and wasn't up front with her superiors or the press.

UC President Janet Napolitano accepted Katehi's resignation Tuesday, noting that the three-month investigation into Katehi's conduct revealed she was not always candid with Napolitano or the public during her seven years as chancellor of the prestigious university.

"The investigation is now concluded, and it found numerous instances where Chancellor Katehi was not candid, either with me, the press or the public, that she exercised poor judgment and violated multiple university policies," Napolitano said in a statement.

The beleaguered chancellor was placed on paid leave in April after being connected to a string of controversies and public relations fiascos.

An investigative report by the Sacramento Bee revealed that the school paid social-media experts more than $175,000 to scrub its online image of negative information regarding its handling of a notorious 2011 pepper-spraying incident. Katehi was also scrutinized for simultaneously sitting on the board of the troubled for-profit university DeVry Education Group, and for possibly violating university rules on nepotism.

Katehi responded to Napolitano's investigation by hiring an attorney and media consultant to help bolster her image, and maintained Tuesday that she didn't break university policies.

"The investigation regarding these allegations has been completed, and the investigators have confirmed that as to material allegations concerning my service to this institution, I did not violate UC policies or laws," Katehi wrote in a letter Tuesday.

Katehi's problems began in March when the Bee reported that she was moonlighting for DeVry, which is under federal investigation for allegedly defrauding students. It was then reported that Katehi served on the DeVry board without Napolitano's permission and that she also served on the board of textbook publisher John Wiley & Sons while chancellor.

The final and most damning accusations came in April, when the Bee revealed that the university paid to have web stories removed in wake of the 2011 pepper-spraying of students by UC Davis officers. The mounting accusations forced Napolitano to place Katehi on paid leave and begin an independent investigation.

State Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, said Katehi's resignation signals the end of a sad chapter at the school. The Democrat had called for Katehi to resign earlier this year.

"UC Davis can now move forward and be known for what they're best at: rigorous academics, world-class research, an innovative medical center in Sacramento and an active student body," McCarty said in a statement.

Ralph Hexter will remain as acting chancellor while Napolitano conducts a search for Katehi's replacement.

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