![](https://davisvanguard.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Janet_Napolitano-765x510.jpg)
With the investigative report completed, UC President Janet Napolitano on Tuesday sent a message to UC Davis faculty, many of whom have remained in support of Chancellor Katehi. In it she wrote that, on April 25, she met with the chancellor to discuss what she called “a series of misjudgments and policy violations of such a serious nature that she should resign her position as chancellor of UC Davis.”
“Regrettably,” the president writes, “Chancellor Katehi refused to resign and made public statements to campus leadership and others that she intended to remain as chancellor. I then placed Chancellor Katehi on immediate administrative leave and authorized the hiring of an outside firm to investigate a number of concerns.”
The report, President Napolitano says, “found numerous instances where Chancellor Katehi was not candid, either with me, the press, or the public, that she exercised poor judgment, and violated multiple University policies.”
She writes that the chancellor has now offered to resign and that resignation has been accepted.
“These past three months and the events leading up to them have been an unhappy chapter in the life of UC Davis. I believe it is in the best interest of the campus, the Davis community, and the University of California that we move forward,” she writes.
Chancellor Katehi will now transition to become a full-time faculty member. UC Davis will conduct a national search for a new chancellor and Ralph Hexter will remain as interim chancellor.
The report looks at six specific allegations.
First, the employment of Chancellor Katehi’s son and daughter-in-law. The report notes, “In discussing allegations of nepotism raised by the press. Chancellor Katehi advised President Napolitano that there were ‘no issues’ related to the employment of her family members. If Chancellor Katehi intended to convey to President Napolitano that there were no issues with respect to her involvement in her son’s and daughter-in-law’s employment, then her statements were accurate.”
President Napolitano, however, “understood her to mean that there were no issues whatsoever with respect to their employment, which was not entirely accurate.”
However, the report concludes, “In any event, it does not appear that Chancellor Katehi attempted to intentionally mislead President Napolitano during their call on April 19, inasmuch as it does not appear she was aware of the specifics of any employment issues related to her son and daughter-in-law at that time.”
The social media and strategic communications contracts clearly generate most of the headlines. The report summarizes, “The evidence gathered indicates that Chancellor Katehi minimized her knowledge of and role in certain social media and strategic communications contracts in her discussions with President Napolitano and the media.”
The findings here are that the chancellor “advised President Napolitano that she had nothing to do with the contracts and that they were all handled by the UC Davis communications. During these conversations. Chancellor Katehi conveyed the clear impression that she knew nothing of the contracts and that she was not involved in them.”
She told similar things to the Sacramento Bee editorial board.
The report finds, “The Chancellor’s statements were misleading, at best, or untruthful, at worst.”
The report summarizes, “In reality, Chancellor Katehi initiated UC Davis’ relationship with Nevins by unilaterally contacting an executive recruiter to find a social media consultant to help repair reputational damage caused by the 2011 pepper spray incident. She approved replacing Nevins with another company, Purple Strategies, which was recommended by the head of Strategic Communications, and when that engagement ended, she directed her Chief of Staff to find another company to continue the work. He in turn identified IDMLOCO, which was ultimately hired.”
It adds, “Although Chancellor Katehi did not negotiate the contracts or oversee the day-to-day work of the consultants, she advocated for or approved the hiring of each company, participated in meetings with each, and was aware of and reviewed their work product from time to time.”
On student fee revenues: “While the use of SASI [Student Activities and Services Initiative] fees for PE instruction was arguably inconsistent with the text of the SASI, the evidence establishes that any such inconsistency was inadvertent, had no substantive budgetary impact, was remedied shortly after being recognized, and resulted in a new control mechanism to help ensure the optimal allocation of SASI funds going forward. The investigation team identified no policy violations or management concerns related to the use of SASI revenues.”
On the issue of reimbursement of costs related to Chancellor Katehi’s travel: “There is no evidence of intentional misconduct with respect to Chancellor Katehi’s travel reimbursements in connection with her board service with John Wiley & Sons or trips to Greece. With one exception, the evidence shows that Chancellor Katehi sought reimbursement from UC Davis only for trips that included a substantiated University business purpose. The evidence further shows that, where Chancellor Katehi’s travel combined University and non-University purposes, she ultimately received reimbursement from the University for only University-related travel.
However, the report finds two violations with regard to reimbursements. In one case they conclude that, while the practice violated policies, “Chancellor Katehi did not personally profit from this arrangement,” and in the second case, “It does not appear that Chancellor Katehi personally profited, or that UC Davis suffered a financial loss, as a result of these policy violations.”
Fifth, with respect to her service on the Wiley & Sons board: “Chancellor Katehi’s service on this Board was approved by President Napolitano’s predecessor, President Mark Yudof, and subsequently by President Napolitano.” However, it admonished her because she has not, as promised in March 2016, donated the proceeds to a scholarship fund.
“Notwithstanding her promises, Chancellor Katehi has not to date established a scholarship fund or donated the stock proceeds. When interviewed by the investigation team on June 29, 2016, Chancellor Katehi indicated that she and her husband would re-evaluate whether to donate the stock proceeds in light of the investigation. Chancellor Katehi’s private spokesperson, Larry Kamer, later reiterated this to the press, stating that Chancellor Katehi and her family ‘will consider their options regarding charitable donations at the conclusion of the investigation.’”
With respect to DeVry, the report hits her for “disregarding” certain “information regarding government investigations and enforcement actions directed at DeVrv University, as well as other concerns about the for-profit education industry in general. Although she was aware of information that should have caused concern, at the same time she was unaware of other information because she did not exercise any meaningful due diligence before joining DeVrv’s Board of Directors.”
The report hits her for failing “to exercise diligence and judgment in 2012…” and noted, “Chancellor Katehi did not comply with University policies governing the reporting and approval of her outside professional activities.”
She is further criticized: “Following DeVry’s press release announcing her board membership, and in the midst of intense media scrutiny regarding the issue, Chancellor Katehi’s statements to President Napolitano were not candid. Chancellor Katehi told President Napolitano that she had not yet begun her service on the DeVry board, which was untrue. Chancellor Katehi had already attended two events related to her board service—an orientation for new board members at DeVry’s headquarters near Chicago and a board meeting in Florida just two weeks before her conversation with President Napolitano. It was during these meetings that Chancellor Katehi learned about some of the investigations and enforcement actions concerning DeVrv University, yet she failed to bring that information to the President’s attention in connection with seeking approval for board service.”
Finally, there is “no evidence that Chancellor Katehi retaliated or threatened retaliation against employees for their cooperation with this investigation or with UCOP.”
—David M. Greenwald reporting
of course, follow the money and learn the truth…the wrong person got the shaft in this vicious witchhunt…
Napolitano has got to go….and watch as more and more documentation is released on many a “related” but perhaps “offtopic for this thread” thing…
PS> and what a buncha edit on the DeVry….truly that is all they got? really????????
And, as I have said many a time, if she had a better manager in her office, the paper would have been done correctly and on time and without any issues… I mean a REAL manager – someone who had a clue and watched her back…
again, edit…and whoever on the Napolitano’s team (the many truly overpaid attorneys and “staff” ) who wrote that edit, should be embarrassed also..
sometimes i think you string together cliches that have no meaning. follow the money? what does that mean in this context? the findings for katehi show that she didn’t misuse money for personal gain, but she certainly didn’t handle matters appropriately. so what in the world do you mean by follow the money and that the wrong person got the shaft?
ha ha…. I meant Napo and the Gov…and the twin tunnels and illegal selling of energy and so on….this is the tip of that iceberg….
sorry, I have shared a ton o other Kathehi and other such threads….thought you may have already seen all of that…
and, they dug up something from 2012?
and she got a glowing review as Chancellor correct in her five year Chancellor review? when, last year?
not to mention her mandatory timely reviews as an academic?
while i believe this is overblown, you are guilty yourself of overlooking some clear problems in her willingness to look into matters diligently, and her honesty with her boss. those are big problems.
she finally got worn down, DP, and that is why she resigned….
Many engineers on campus speak out about the twin tunnels….so do many other high level academics in departments like EVE……many NAS, the only HHMI, the Engineering Academy and other international academies…
That is the Gov’s pet project and it is not even needed now
The Napo has some dirt from when the Gov was Attorney General…and he is cowed by her…
The Napo and the Gov had illegal meetings in 2014 called the gang of two…not really, it was the committee of 2 and crashed the retirement plan for UC>>>>
This “new and worser” plan went into effect July 1 2016…. the unions don’t want the new plan, I don’t think, but am not sure….for longevity and seniority purposes it is really bad….
She had no authority to do that…. Faculty were in an uproar….and yet, it stood..
Napo oversteps her authority at every turn…
Are the dots coming together a little yet?
No.
Dots, or tracers?
i agree – no there are no dots here. what happened is what guzman said happened – the report came out, katehi moved on.
and, yes….please move on….there is nothing here for you to see anymore
and, yes, Alan Miller and those of your ilk, find your next target….and hopefully it will be a union boss or some other shill….instead of someone like the Chancellor..
or course not, you obviously have an agenda…far be it for someone to share an idea that you cannot understand…
cya…
I am my own ilk. My agenda since November 18, 2011 has been the demise of Linda Katehi. My agenda is complete, we have won.
and I hope you are happy perhaps the next chancellor will find a way to get rid of you….who knows….I don’t even know who the hell you are ..and why you held onto this vendetta for so many years?
Did you know that she was set up? that Lt Pike’s head was put on a pike and that Spicuzza was the one behind that? Did you ever actually talk with Spicuzza? what a non-caring piece of work she was… Did you know that the good ole’ boy Matt Carmichael was brought in to help clean things up after making a mess at UCDMC? and that he was reporting things to Janet Napolitano?
Likely not…but it didn’t matter, right? she was your target? I hope you are truly happy and that you get whatever payoff for your hard work…
just in from Ralphie
Since you are a valued member of the UC Davis community, I am writing to inform you that yesterday (August 9, 2016) Linda P.B. Katehi resigned as Chancellor of UC Davis.
I have been informed that the search for a new chancellor will begin in the near future. In the meantime, I will continue to serve in my current role as Acting Chancellor.
I want to assure you that as Acting Chancellor, I will ensure that this great university continues to pursue its core commitments as vigorously and creatively as we have in recent years.
These commitments include growing our excellence in teaching and research; growing our impact in improving individual lives, our society, and our planet; keeping a first-rate education accessible and affordable for all students, regardless of their background; strengthening our leadership role in addressing the most-urgent global problems; and creating a fully diverse, inclusive, mutually respectful, and safe environment where all members of our university community can succeed, excel, and thrive.
As an alumnus/a of UC Davis, your continued support is as important as ever to our continued success and our pursuits to be the best university in the country and the world.
So, on behalf of the students, faculty and staff of UC Davis, I want to thank you for your ongoing support and for all that you do for UC Davis.
Sincerely,
Ralph J. Hexter
Acting Chancellor
Distinguished Professor of Classics & Comparative Literature
University of California, Davis
Cal Aggie Alumni Association
(800) 242-4723
alumni@ucdavis.edu
compare that to what the Napo sent earlier:
From: Office of the President [communications@ucop.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2016 1:54 PM
To: Faculty, Staff and Students
Subject: Message to the UC Davis Community from President Janet Napolitano
Message to the UC Davis Community from President Janet Napolitano
August 9, 2016
On April 25, 2016, I met privately with Linda Katehi to discuss a series of misjudgments and policy violations of such a serious nature that she should resign her position as chancellor of UC Davis. Regrettably, Chancellor Katehi refused to resign and made public statements to campus leadership and others that she intended to remain as chancellor. I then placed Chancellor Katehi on immediate administrative leave and authorized the hiring of an outside firm to investigate a number of concerns.
The investigation is now concluded, and it found numerous instances where Chancellor Katehi was not candid, either with me, the press, or the public, that she exercised poor judgment, and violated multiple University policies. In these circumstances, Chancellor Katehi has now offered to resign, and I have accepted that resignation. These past three months and the events leading up to them have been an unhappy chapter in the life of UC Davis. I believe it is in the best interest of the campus, the Davis community, and the University of California that we move forward.
Chancellor Katehi will transition to becoming a full-time faculty member in accordance with the terms of her pre-existing contract. We will immediately form a search committee and conduct a national search for a new chancellor to lead this extraordinary campus. Ralph Hexter will continue in his role leading the campus during the pendency of the search. The Office of the President will support and work with Davis’s faculty, students, staff, and community, to ensure the campus continues its impressive upward trajectory.
**********************************
and my comment: who do you believe????