Mark Yudof

Mark George Yudof (born October 30, 1944) is an American law professor and academic administrator.

Yudof earned his B.A. cum laude in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965 and LL.B. cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1968.

Yudof joined the faculty of The University of Texas School of Law in 1971.

He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Michigan Law School and UC Berkeley School of Law.

Yudof is a recognized expert in the fields of constitutional law, freedom of expression, and education law.

He was co-counsel for the plaintiffs in the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case San Antonio v. Rodriguez, the landmark school finance lawsuit.

Yudof became a member of the State Bar of Texas in 1980.

Previously, he was a faculty member and administrator at The University of Texas at Austin for 26 years, serving as dean of the School of Law from 1984 to 1994 and as the university's executive vice president and provost from 1994 to 1997.

Born in Philadelphia to parents of Ukrainian Jewish descent, Yudof was raised in West Philadelphia.

Yudof's father worked as an electrician.

From 1984 to 1994, Yudof served as dean of the University of Texas School of Law.

He is the author of Gender Justice (with David L. Kirp and Marlene Franks), (Chicago Press, 1986; Paperback, 1987) and of When Government Speaks: Politics, Law, and Government Expression in America, (The University of California Press, 1983).

From 1994 to 1997, Yudof served as executive vice president and provost of the University of Texas at Austin.

In that position, Yudof initiated many improvements to undergraduate education, including creating a freshman seminar program and Academy of Distinguished Teachers.

On July 1, 1997, Yudof took office as the 14th president of the University of Minnesota.

In his first year as president, Yudof took advantage of a state budget surplus to fund construction projects, historic preservation, and academic priorities at the university.

Yudof helped to establish freshman seminars.

In 1999 the university moved from a quarter to semester system.

The university encountered scandal in 1999 after the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that an academic counseling staffer at Minnesota claimed to have done coursework for many student-athletes on the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball program over the past five years, as well as several other NCAA rules violations by Minnesota basketball.

Yudof oversaw self-imposed sanctions on the men's basketball program.

Those sanctions included a $1.5 million buyout of the contract of head coach Clem Haskins, a postseason ban for the 1999–2000 season, and scholarship reductions.

The scandal led to the resignations of men's athletic director Mark Dienhart and university vice president McKinley Boston.

Members of the university board of regents praised Yudof for his handling of the scandal.

By 2002, Yudof united men's and women's athletics at Minnesota under a single athletic director.

In 2002, a six-story apartment-style hall was built at the University of Minnesota and was named Riverbend Commons and then subsequently renamed after Mark G. Yudof.

It is currently referred to as Yudof or Yudof Hall.

Yudof became the ninth chancellor of the University of Texas System on August 1, 2002.

Simultaneously, he was president emeritus at the University of Minnesota and Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law.

As University of Texas System chancellor, Yudof allowed individual campuses to set their own tuition rates.

He is a former president of the University of California (2008-2013), former chancellor of the University of Texas System (2002–2008), and former president of the University of Minnesota (1997–2002).

In addition to his position as Chancellor at The University of Texas, Yudof held the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law.

He resigned on June 15, 2008, to become President of the University of California system.

In March 2008, Yudof was selected as the next president of UC, to succeed Robert C. Dynes.

He began his term on June 16, 2008.

In November 2009, TIME Magazine recognized Mark Yudof as one of the "10 Best College Presidents", citing his efforts to provide opportunity and access to a quality education for California residents with financial need whose family income is less than $60,000.

In January 2013, Yudof announced his plan to resign as president of the University of California, effective August 31, 2013.

He was heavily criticized for securing the maximum pension of $350,000 after only 7 years of service, including one year on paid sabbatical and another in which he taught only one class per semester.

The California budget crisis resulted in massive cuts to higher education by the California State Legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Struggling to grapple with the ensuing crisis, California legislative leaders cut more than 20 percent from the UC budget in one year - the largest budgetary reduction in the history of the UC.

In a July 9 "Open Letter to UC alumni and friends," UC Regent Richard Blum; Russell Gould, then-chair; Sherry Lansing, then-vice chair; and UC president Yudof wrote,