UC Official Quits as Investigation Unfolds

University of California Provost M.R.C. Greenwood, the UC system’s second-ranking leader, resigned suddenly Friday amid what UC officials described as an investigation into possibly improper hiring practices and conflict-of-interest concerns.

UC President Robert C. Dynes said in a statement Friday afternoon that the university’s attorneys and auditors were looking into the role Greenwood, 62, may have played in two recent hirings, including that of her son James for a $45,000-a-year internship at UC Merced.

The second involves Lynda Goff, a longtime UC Santa Cruz biology professor recently named to head the UC’s new effort to improve science and math education in California. UC officials recently learned that Greenwood and Goff have owned rental property together, according to the statement.

“It appears that Provost Greenwood may have been involved in Dr. Goff’s hiring to a greater extent than was appropriate, given that her business investment with Dr. Goff had not been properly and fully resolved in accordance with conflict of interest requirements,” the statement said.

UC spokesman Michael Reese said he could not comment on whether Greenwood resigned voluntarily. But he emphasized that the investigation was not complete and that there was no presumption of wrongdoing on Greenwood’s part.

“The president made some decisions very quickly, and this is the result,” Reese said.

Greenwood, a biologist and former chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, in February 2004 became the first woman appointed as UC provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. Known to friends and colleagues as Marci, she has been widely praised as an articulate, forceful advocate for the university at a time of growing enrollment, rising student fees and tightened resources.

Greenwood, whose resignation was effective immediately, could not be reached for comment. Reese said she had declined to speak with reporters or issue a statement. A tenured professor, Greenwood is expected to return to a teaching or other academic position with the university, Reese said.

Officials also announced Friday that UC Vice President for Student Affairs Winston C. Doby has been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation into his role in hiring Greenwood’s son for a senior internship position at UC Merced.

Doby, 64, was an administrator at UCLA for more than three decades before he moved to the UC president’s office in 2001 as the systemwide vice president for educational outreach and was later promoted to his current position. He could not be reached for comment.

In the statement, Dynes said investigators were looking into whether Doby “acted improperly in any way in helping Mr. Greenwood secure his position.” The job was described as a one-year, full-time position for a mid-career professional interested in a career in student affairs. James Greenwood’s age and educational background were not available.

His performance in the position was not at issue, according to the statement, which said he was “making a valuable contribution.”

Goff, a biology professor at UC Santa Cruz for 30 years and later its vice provost and dean of undergraduate education, was hired in September 2004 as an administrator in the UC president’s office, where she designed and launched the university’s science and math initiative.

The effort, in conjunction with the California State University, is aimed at dramatically expanding and improving the training of the state’s math and science teachers. In August, she was named to lead the effort.

Goff remains in her position, and Dynes’ statement said her credentials and the terms and conditions of her appointment were not at issue.

The investigation, he said, involves only “the appropriateness of Provost Greenwood’s role in her hiring.”

Reese said he could not comment on details of the rental property or properties Greenwood and Goff owned jointly.

UC Regent Judith Hopkinson said she worried that the departure under a cloud of such a high-ranking UC official, even if Greenwood is exonerated, could damage the university’s reputation.

“To have anyone -- but especially someone of such high stature -- be potentially involved in something unethical is a very big black mark on the university,” said Hopkinson. “It communicates a terrible message to the public.”

Hopkinson, who said she could not comment on the specifics of the case, said she was shocked by news of the investigation, but said she thought Greenwood’s resignation, in light of the allegations, was appropriate. Until then, the regent said, “I thought she was absolutely stellar -- articulate, on target and on point on issues important to the university.”

Regent Joanne Kozberg, who as chairwoman of the regents’ committee on educational policy worked closely with Greenwood, said she too had admired the provost’s energy and hard work. “But I take this investigation very seriously and like all the regents, support the president’s decision,” Kozberg said.

The investigation began after inquiries from the San Francisco Chronicle, according to Dynes’ statement.

UC’s Executive Vice Provost Wyatt R. Hume, a former UCLA administrator, has been named acting provost and acting vice president for student affairs. Reese said Dynes expects to initiate a search soon to find a permanent replacement for Greenwood.