Young to receive 2009 Clark Kerr Medal for his leadership in higher ed

UCLA Chancellor Emeritus Charles E. Young has been selected to receive the 2009 Clark Kerr Medal for Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education, the highest award given by the UC Berkeley Academic Senate, for his extraordinary contribution to the advancement of higher education.

 

Young, who served as chancellor of UCLA from 1968 to 1997, directed the university's rapid growth and rise to prominence as one of the finest universities in the nation and the world. When he became chancellor at age 36, he was the youngest person at the helm of any major American university. When he retired on June 30, 1997, he was the longest-serving chief executive of any university in the country. He later became president of the University of Florida and currently serves as the chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.

 

The Berkeley Senate created the Clark Kerr award in 1968 as a tribute to the leadership and legacy of UC President Emeritus Kerr. 

 

"Beginning with your work alongside President Kerr to forge the State Master Plan for Higher Education and progressing to your almost three decade leadership of UCLA, which upon your retirement was considered one of the top research universities in the country, your impact on higher education in the United States has been profound," said UC Berkeley Professor David B. Wake, chair of the Senate's Faculty Awards Committee, in a letter to Young announcing his selection to receive the Kerr award.

 

"You spread this impact when you became President of the University of Florida, one of the largest public universities in the country. Your influence is evident in programs that promote student involvement in public service, efforts to improve K-12 education, intercollegiate athletics reform, and awards that recognize your strong commitment to inclusion, diversity, and internationalism."    

 

Past recipients of this award include former California Gov. and Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren; Theodore Hesburgh, former president of Notre Dame; and J. William Fulbright. In 2008, the award went to Harold T. Shapiro, former president of Princeton University.

 

The award will be presented later this year at a dinner at UC Berkeley.