UCLA Dean of Humanities Pauline Yu agreed with Smith that improving the university's reputation was a worthy goal for the new chancellor.

"I think if his commitment is to making sure we are a quality institution, than that's great," Yu said. "I hope he has an understanding of the ways quality can be defined. He's going to have a lot to learn when he gets here."

New Challenges

In an interview yesterday, Carnesale said he heard about the UCLA chancellor search several months ago, when a colleague at the U.C. approached him.

He attributed his decision to leave Harvard after 23 years to the excitement and new challenges of the UCLA chancellor's position.

"To be quite honest, when I have advised others on career choices, I have espoused a 'tingle theory,'" Carnesale said. "Does this seem like something where you could make a contribution? Does the idea give you a tingly feeling?"

Specifically, UCLA attracted him because, as a large public institution with a long history of academic excellence, it posed a different challenge than his work at Harvard, Carnesale said.

"UCLA is very different from Harvard," Carnesale said. "It isn't a university that wishes it was Harvard but is not quite as good.