Praise for UCSC's Denton Mixed with Sadness

The apparent suicide of UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Denice Denton, PhD, last Saturday has stunned top University of California leaders, who have termed her passing a personal and professional loss. Among those issuing statements was UCSF Chancellor Mike Bishop, MD. "The news of Chancellor Denice Denton's death reached me late Saturday morning. I was stunned and deeply saddened. The University has lost a talented and vigorous leader, and I have lost a newfound friend whose imagination, intelligence and commitment to the purposes of higher education were second to none. I join the entire UCSF community in extending heartfelt condolences to Denice's partner, Gretchen Kalonji, the rest of her family, her many friends and all our colleagues at UC Santa Cruz." UC President Robert Dynes, PhD, echoed Bishop's sentiment. "It was with profound sadness and shock that we learned this weekend of the death of UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Denice Denton. Her tragic passing on Saturday is a tremendous loss for the entire University of California family." "Denice was an accomplished and passionate scholar whose life and work demonstrated a deep commitment to public service and to improving opportunity for the disadvantaged and underrepresented. She was a person of enthusiasm, of big ideas, of tremendous energy, and of great promise. In a relatively short time at UC Santa Cruz, she began moving on ambitious plans for the campus and emerged as an important voice in national higher education issues." "Our thoughts and prayers are with Denice's partner, Gretchen Kalonji, and with the rest of Denice's family and many friends. They, and we, have lost a wonderful and talented person." "We are looking to UCSC Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David Kliger and the rest of Chancellor Denton's cabinet to continue providing leadership for the campus during this difficult moment, and we are working with the campus on appropriate ways of recognizing Chancellor Denton in the coming days. More information will be shared as it becomes available." Other issuing statements included UC Santa Cruz Provost David Kliger, PhD, and UC Berkeley's Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, PhD. The University of California, Santa Cruz has created a special website dedicated to Denton. http://chancellor.ucsc.edu/ UCSF has joined with its sister institutions in keeping flags at half staff until July 3.