Dean of Graduate Studies Cristina González will assume new responsibilities Aug. 1 as senior adviser to the chancellor, leaving her current post.
"Cristina has agreed to assist me during a period of rapid growth with a variety of projects that do not fall naturally in the purview of any specific area, but that require the focused attention of a senior administrator," said Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef.
"I am grateful for her willingness to help UC Davis meet these needs; her help will be invaluable to us during this critical period."
Academic Senate Chair Jeffery Gibeling, former executive associate dean of graduate studies and professor of materials science and engineering, will begin a two-year term as graduate studies dean Aug. 1. He will relinquish his senate responsibilities when he assumes his new administrative post. His successor will be selected by the senate's Committee on Committees, in keeping with the senate's bylaws.
Gibeling has served as a member of the campus's Graduate Council for five years, beginning in 1991 and including a year and a quarter as its chair. He served as executive associate dean of graduate studies from January 1996 through June 1998.
"Jeff's extensive experience will provide continuity and momentum to our graduate studies program, building well upon the strong programmatic foundation fostered by Cristina," Vanderhoef said.
During González's tenure as dean, the campus has made significant advancements in graduate education. She serves as chair of the UC Council of Graduate Deans and as a member of various national committees, including the Association of Graduate Schools Executive Committee, the Council of Graduate Schools Executive Commit-tee and Board of Directors and the Council of Graduate Schools Advisory Committee on Minorities in Graduate Education, which she currently chairs.
Additionally, González is the author of numerous articles on higher education topics that have been widely read and cited.
"I have enjoyed working with the graduate students and faculty, as well as with the staff in the Office of Graduate Studies and around campus, and would like to express my appreciation for their support and encouragement over the years," González said.
"Thanks to their determination and hard work, graduate education at UC Davis has reached new heights. I now look forward to serving the campus in this new capacity. This is a great campus with a great future, and I am proud to be part of it."
Said Gibeling: "Graduate education is central to the mission of a research university because it unites our teaching activities with our scholarship. I am looking forward to providing leadership to the campus in this important area."