Lawmakers hammer Katehi over outside activities; she apologizes again

By Tanya Perez

SACRAMENTO — UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi was in the hot seat Monday at the state Capitol during a three-hour Assembly hearing about outside employment activities of university executives.

Katehi began her remarks with an apology: “I wanted to again acknowledge my lapse in judgment and apologize for accepting a position on the DeVry University board of directors.

“I also want to state unequivocally that this will not happen again.”

The Assembly hearings were scheduled after revelations of Katehi’s paid board positions — one for DeVry Education Group; another for John Wiley & Sons, a textbook company; and a third for King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia. Katehi resigned from DeVry and King Abdulaziz University before officially serving or receiving any compensation as a board member.

During her remarks, in which she often looked ill at ease, the chancellor attempted to shed some light on the benefits a university might receive by its leader serving on outside boards.

“Participating on the boards of organizations outside the campus is encouraged and considered to be a responsibility of academic leadership at UC and across the country,” she told lawmakers, two of whom — Kevin McCarty and Evan Lowe — have called for her resignation. That call has been echoed by two other Assembly members, Lorena Gonzalez and Luis Alejo.

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[Source]: The Davis Enterprise