UC President Mark Yudof has named a 15-member advisory committee of university chancellors, faculty, administrators, staff and students to help with the national search for the next provost, the university’s highest-ranking academic officer.

Dr. Lawrence Pitts announced in September that he would retire from his post as provost and executive vice president of academic affairs in spring 2012.

Pitts, a longtime UC faculty member, past chair of the UC Academic Senate and professor emeritus of neurosurgery at UC San Francisco, became interim provost in February 2009 and was appointed permanent provost in March 2010.

At the time of his appointment, Pitts said he planned to serve no more than three years as provost. In announcing his retirement, he pledged to remain in the post until his successor takes office.

The advisory committee, assisted by a national search firm, will be involved in recruiting, screening and conducting interviews with candidates for provost. Serving on the advisory committee will be:

• Robert Anderson, chair, UC Systemwide Academic Senate; professor of economics, UC Berkeley
• Kim Barrett, graduate dean, UC San Diego
• Nathan Brostrom, executive vice president, business operations, UCOP
• Joseph Castro, vice chancellor for student affairs and interim dean, Graduate Division, UC San Francisco
• Michael Drake, chancellor, UC Irvine
• Linda Katehi, chancellor, UC Davis
• Herbert Lee, vice provost for academic affairs and campus diversity officer for faculty, UC Santa Cruz
• Gene Lucas, provost and executive vice chancellor, UC Santa Barbara
• Teenie Matlock, member, President’s Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion; associate professor of cognitive science, UC Merced
• Mark Rashid, professor of civil and environmental engineering, UC Davis
• Dallas Rabenstein, provost and executive vice chancellor, UC Riverside
• Ravinder Singh, chair, Council of University of California Staff Assemblies, UCOP
• Jonathan Stein, UC student regent-designate; graduate student, law and public policy, UC Berkeley
• Eugene Switkes, professor of chemistry, UC Santa Cruz
• Stephen Yeazell, Distinguished Professor of law, UC Los Angeles

The committee will be assisted in identifying candidates by the firm Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates.

In conducting the search, both the committee and the president will be mindful of the university’s commitment to diversity in the employment of women and underrepresented minorities in seeking out the most qualified candidates.

The committee is expected to conduct its work in time for Yudof to submit his recommended nominee to the Board of Regents no later than its May 2012 meeting.