UC Santa Cruz tops ranking of women in leadership at R1 universities

When it comes to women leading universities, UC Santa Cruz is first in the nation for racial and gender diversity in leadership. 

Santa Cruz is one of just six Research 1 (R1) universities that have had at least three women at the helm, according to a new report conducted by the Women’s Power Gap Initiative (WPG) at the Eos Foundation, in partnership with the American Association of University Women (AAUW). The study looks at private and public universities with R1 designation, the highest research ranking awarded to universities with doctoral programs by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions in Higher Education.  

In addition to Chancellor Cynthia Larive and Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Lori Kletzer, the top administrative and academic leadership teams are composed of administrators from diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and identities.  Sixty percent of the Chancellor’s Cabinet, 38 percent of the academic deans and 36 percent of tenured professors are women.