The Regents of the University of California is the governing board of the University of California system. Chartered by the California Constitution, the board has 26 voting members.
The California Constitution grants broad institutional autonomy, with limited exceptions, to the Regents. According to article IX, section 9, "The University shall be entirely independent of all political or sectarian influence and kept free therefrom in the appointment of its regents and in the administration of its affairs."
As with almost all other public university systems nationwide, the board of regents is treated as the real party in interest for all purposes under California law. All actions of the university are done in their name, all degrees are conferred in their name, all UC property is held in their name (and is marked by signs indicating "Property of the Regents of the University of California"), all bank accounts are held in their name (and all checks must be written as payable to "UC Regents"), and all lawsuits involving the University always refer specifically to the regents. This is notable because most corporations (especially private ones) are treated by the law as a legal entity separate from their boards and employees, and lawsuits against them are addressed to the corporation or university itself, not its board of directors or trustees.
Administrative support is provided to the Regents by the Office of the Secretary of the Regents of the University of California, which shares an office building with the UC Office of the President in Oakland.
The majority of the board (18 Regents) is appointed via nomination by the Governor of California and confirmation by the California State Senate to 12-year terms. One student Regent is appointed by the Board for a one-year term. The remaining 7 Regents are ex officio members. They are the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the State Assembly, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, president and vice president of the Alumni Associations of UC, and president of the University of California.
The Board also has two non-voting faculty representatives. The incoming student Regent serves as a non-voting Regent-designate from the date of selection (usually between July and October) until beginning their formal term the following July 1.
The vast majority of the Regents appointed by the Governor historically have consisted of lawyers, politicians and businessmen. Over the past two decades, it has been common that UC Regents appointees have donated relatively large sums of money either directly to the Governor's election campaigns or indirectly to party election groups.
Originally appointed by Gov. Gray Davis:
Sherry L. Lansing (appointed 1999; reappointed 2010; term expires March 1, 2022)
Monica Lozano (Chairman) (appointed 2001; resigned 2013; reappointed in 2014 by Jerry Brown, reappointment confirmed on Aug. 22, 2014, term expires March 1, 2022)
Norman J. Pattiz (appointed 2001; reappointed 2003; reappointed in 2014 by Jerry Brown, reappointment confirmed on Aug. 22, 2014, term expires March 1, 2026)
Richard C. Blum (appointed 2002; reappointed in 2014 by Jerry Brown, reappointment confirmed on Aug. 22, 2014, term expires March 1, 2026)
Originally appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Frederick Ruiz (Vice Chair) (appointed 2004; term expires March 1, 2016)
Paul Wachter (appointed 2004; term expires March 1, 2016)
Eddie Island (appointed 2005; term expires March 1, 2017)
William De La Peña, M.D. (appointed 2006; term expires March 1, 2018)
Bruce D. Varner (appointed 2006; term expires March 1, 2018)
Bonnie Reiss (appointed 2008; term expires March 1, 2020)
Hadi Makarechian (appointed 2008; term expires March 1, 2020)
Charlene Zettel (appointed 2009; term expires March 1, 2021)
George Kieffer (appointed 2009; term expires March 1, 2021)
Originally appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown:
Richard Sherman (appointed 2014, appointment confirmed on Aug. 22, 2014; term expires March 1, 2025)
Eloy Ortiz Oakley (appointed 2014; term expires March 1, 2024)
John Pérez (appointed 2014; term expires March 1, 2024)
Gareth Elliott (appointed 2015; 2025 term expires March 1, 2025)
Student Regent:
Abraham (Avi) Oved (term expires June 30, 2016)
Ex officio Regents
Jerry Brown (Governor)
Gavin Newsom (Lieutenant Governor)
Toni Atkins (Assembly Speaker)
Tom Torlakson (Superintendent of Public Instruction)
Janet Napolitano (UC President)
Yolanda Gorman (President, Alumni Associations of UC, 2015–2016)
Rodney Davis (Vice-President, Alumni Associations of UC, 2015–2016)
Regents-designate are non-voting participants who are scheduled to transition to full board membership at later date.
Harvey Brody (given alumni Regent-designate status 2015; designate status expires June 30, 2016)
Cynthia So Schroeder (given alumni Regent-designate status 2015; designate status expires June 30, 2016)
Marcela Ramirez (given student Regent-designate status 2015; designate status expires June 30, 2016)
Faculty Representatives to the Regents are non-voting participants who may be assigned as representatives to certain committees.
Dan Hare (became a representative in 2014; representative status expires August 31, 2016)
James Chalfant (became a representative in 2015; representative status expires August 31, 2017)
Ben Allen (2007-2008)
Gerry Parsky (1996-2008)
John J. Moores (1999–2007)
David S. Lee (1994–2006)
Ward Connerly (1993–2005)
Dolores Huerta (2003-2004)
Howard H. Leach (1990–2001)
Clair Burgener (1988–1997)
John F. Henning (1989–1997)
Tirso del Junco (1985-1997)
Willis Harman (1980–1990)
William French Smith (1968–1990)
Sheldon Andelson (1982–1987)
Janice Eberly (1985–1986)
Gregory Bateson (1976–1980)
William Coblentz (1964-1980)
Yvonne Burke (1979)
Fred Dutton (1962–1978)
William M. Roth (1961–1977)
Elinor Raas Heller (1961–1976)
Norton Simon (1960–1976)
Edwin W. Pauley (1940–1972)
Dorothy Buffum Chandler (1954–1968)
H. R. Haldeman (President, AAUC, 1965–1967; 1968)
William E. Forbes (1960-1961, 1962)
Thomas M. Storke (1955–1960)
John Francis Neylan (1928–1955)
Stanley Mosk (1940–1941)
Paul Peek (1939–1940)
William H. Crocker (1908–1937)
William John Cooper (1927-1929)
Phoebe Hearst (1897–1919)
Charles Stetson Wheeler (1892–1896), (1902–1907), (1911–1923)
Leland Stanford (1882–1883)
Timothy Guy Phelps (1880–1899)
Benjamin B. Redding (1880–1882)
Peter Preuss (1994-1995, 1996-2008, 2011–2012)
Odessa P. Johnson (1999-2012)
Joanne C. Kozberg (1998-2010)
Judith L. Hopkinson (1999-2009)
Velma K. Montoya (1994-2005)
Thomas S. Sayles (1994-2006)
John G. Davies (1992-2004)
William T. Bagley (1989-2002)
S. Sue Johnson (1988-1989, 1990-2002)
S. Stephen Nakashima (1989-2001)
Frank W. Clark, Jr. (1980-2000)
In its early years, UC had thirteen Honorary Regents, with ten appointed in 1868. "Honorary Regents" were full board members, with the word "Honorary" simply denoting their manner of selection (that is, they were elected to serve on the board by the other board members, instead of being appointed by the governor). Some were then appointed to another term, following their term as Honorary Regent, by the governor. One (Tompkins) was re-elected.
Frederick Low (1868), 9th Governor of California from 1863 to 1867; considered the "father of the University of California"
Andrew J. Moulder (1868), State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1862–1863; a founder of Minns’ Evening Normal School in San Francisco in 1857 and of the first California State Normal School in San Jose, approved by the Legislature in 1862
Edward Tompkins (1868–1872)
Samuel F. Butterworth (1868–1873)
Joseph M. Moss (1868–1874)
William Chapman Ralston (1868–1875), founder of the Bank of California
John B. Felton (1868–1877)
Isaac Friedlander (1868–1869)
Augustus J. Bowie (1868–1880)
John S. Hager (1868–1890), California State Senator and district judge; United States Senator from California (1873–1875)
Louis Sachs (1869–1875)
Henry H. Haight (1872), 10th Governor of California; signed the Charter of the University of California on March 23, 1868
Andrew Smith Hallidie (1873), "regarded as the inventor of the cable car and father of the present day San Francisco cable car system"; President of the San Francisco Mechanics' Institute 1868–1877 and 1893–1895
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California
Moore v. Regents of the University of California
USL v. BSDi
Hamilton v. Regents of the University of California
