LOS ÁNGELES (AP) — The president of the University of Miami was chosen on Wednesday to become the next chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), after his predecessor stepped down following protests at the university over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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The doctor Julio Frenk, a global public health researcher born in Mexico City, was chosen by the board of regents of the University of California system after a meeting on the UCLA campus, where there was a strong presence of security forces.
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Why did the former UCLA chancellor retired?
Frenk will take over Gene Block's position, who served as chancellor for 17 years and announced his retirement plans long before UCLA became the national focus of protests on college campuses across the United States.
A few months ago, the police dismantled the pro-Palestinian camps that were set up in the facility, in an operation in which several people were arrested. More arrests were reported this week.
Who is Julio Frenk?
Frenk has been at the helm of the University of Miami —which has 17,000 students— since 2015 and previously served as dean of the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University and was the secretary of Health in Mexico during the Vicente Fox administration (2000-2006).
Frenk pointed out in a brief press conference that he assumes the appointment with enthusiasm and humility: “The first thing I plan to do is listen very carefully. This is a complex organization. As I said before, this is a truly relevant moment in the history of higher education,” he said.
Frenk did not comment on the specific protests at UCLA from a few months ago or the response of the current administration, which initially tolerated the encampments, but eventually called the police to remove them and prevented the formation of new encampments.
During public comments at the Board of Regents meeting, speakers criticized the administrators of the University of California system, made accusations of police brutality, complained about the lack of transparency in UC donations, and called for divestment from companies linked to Israel or involved in arms manufacturing.