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Mark Yudof to step down as president of UC system in August

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University of California President Mark G. Yudof announced Friday he would step down in August after what will be nearly five years of guiding the 10-campus system through one of its worst financial crises.

Yudof, who is 68 and previously served as head of state universities in Texas and Minnesota, said recent health problems, including gallbladder surgery, contributed to his decision.

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“Though these challenges have been largely overcome, I feel it is time to make a change in my professional lifestyle,” he said Friday.

He said the improving financial health of the university after the November passage of the Proposition 30 tax increases made this “an apt time for the university to bring in fresh leadership.”

After years of reduced or frozen budgets during the recession, Gov. Jerry Brown is now proposing to increase state funding for the UC system by 5% next year.

“Now, it appears, the storm has been weathered. We are not fully in the clear. But we are much closer than we were even a few months ago,” Yudof said in a statement.

Yudof oversaw the university at a time of huge hikes in tuition during the first few years, triggering protests from students and frequent comments about his $591,000 salary. Cutbacks in course offerings and reduction in non-tenured teaching staff made it harder for undergraduates to graduate on time. But Yudof won praise for protecting the main academic mission of the university and for boosting financial aid to low and middle-income families.

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