Nominee Seen as Craftsman of Consensus

IRVINE —  Don’t be deceived by his endearing “country cousin” manner, say colleagues of UC Irvine Chancellor Jack W. Peltason. The 68-year-old Peltason is considered a brilliant administrator, a keen observer of human nature and a vociferous defender of the role of a research university in society.

“The regents need a very strong president and a very able president, and it’s very hard to imagine anybody more gifted than Peltason is, both in terms of his vision, his experience and his ability to deal with persons of all sorts,” said UCI Prof. Francisco Ayala, who served on the academic committee that helped find candidates to replace retiring UC President David P. Gardner.

“There is only one other person in the country who could do the job equivalent to the job Jack Peltason would do, and that person is David Gardner,” said William R. Schonfeld, UC Irvine’s dean of social sciences and a friend of Peltason.

His chief accomplishments, say supporters and critics alike, are building bridges between the campus and Orange County business, political and social leaders.

After years of struggle to staunch the flow of red ink at the UCI Medical Center, which in one recent year posted a deficit of $12 million, Peltason was credited with negotiating with legislators and Medi-Cal officials to improve rates of reimbursements for the treatment of indigents who once composed more than half the hospital’s patients.

“He’s done a superb job with the hospital, handling the indigent problem at the overtaxed medical center,” said one regent who confirmed that Peltason was the choice of the UC regents’ search committee to succeed Gardner. “And he’s done super work with the state Medi-Cal people.”

“He’s a healer and a consensus builder,” added the regent, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Senior faculty said Peltason told them of his impending Oct. 1 appointment as UC president at a special meeting Wednesday afternoon. And friends and supporters were flocking from across the campus to a reception celebrating his appointment in UC Irvine’s administration tower.

Peltason declined to confirm or deny reports of his promotion, even as faculty and friends clinked champagne glasses in his honor.

But reaction was swift on campus.

“We’re ecstatic at the news,” said Prof. Gregory Benford, an award-winning author of science fiction and other novels who is a close friend of Peltason.

“I’ve long thought him as the foremost chancellor in the system. And in this hour of crisis, we need someone with a long history with the University of California, and someone who is first class. That is Jack Peltason.”

Regents current and past say he is a very close friend of retiring UC President David P. Gardner, and special favorite of the regents for his charm and self-deprecating humor, and his ability to put issues in perspective.