Birds of a Feather: Obama liberal, Janet Napolitano to become head of UC system

What is a liberal to do when her career with the Obama administration has run its course? Janet Napolitano has an answer: become the first female president of the University of California system.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Janet Napolitano will now become the 20th president of the University of California, and will be that system's first female head.

Napolitano is expected to resign from her role as the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security on Friday. She will then travel to California to take charge of the 10-campus University of California system. The campuses educate almost 250,000 students, employ over 200,000 faculty and staff, and have graduated more than 1.6 million living alumni. It also has an annual operating budget that exceeds $24 billion.

The UC system supervises five medical centers, three national laboratories, and a massive agricultural and natural resources program. The UC system has distinguished itself over past decades by leading research, educating students, and providing an example for other universities to follow.

Despite the UC system's rich heritage, the system has more recently been infiltrated by liberals and special interests. Students have protested skyrocketing tuitions, massive private involvement in athletic, academic, and development programs.

Rather than serving as the educational paragon that it once was, the UC system has become one of the most expensive and top-heavy bureaucracies in the nation. The near 5 to 6 ratio between students, faculty staff and administrators, is part of the problem.

Napolitano has credentials for government, but it remains to be seen how she will serve as the head of the UC system. Previously, Napolitano served as governor of Arizona.

Napolitano issued a statement that was long on praise for the Obama administration and short on details of her vision for improving the future of California students.

"For more than four years I have had the privilege of serving President Obama and his Administration as the Secretary of Homeland Security. The opportunity to work with the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, who serve on the frontlines of our nation's efforts to protect our communities and families from harm, has been the highlight of my professional career. We have worked together to minimize threats of all kinds to the American public. The Department has improved the safety of travelers; implemented smart steps that make our immigration system more fair and focused while deploying record resources to protect our nation's borders; worked with states to build resiliency and make our nation's emergency and disaster response capabilities more robust; and partnered with the private sector to improve our cybersecurity. After four plus years of focusing on these challenges, I will be nominated as the next President of the University of California to play a role in educating our nation's next generation of leaders. I thank President Obama for the chance to serve our nation during this important chapter in our history, and I know the Department of Homeland Security will continue to perform its important duties with the honor and focus that the American public expects," Napolitano said in her statement.

Janet Napolitano is 55 years old, and will serve a five-year term with the possibility of additional terms.

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