Meredith Michaels, Vice Chancellor of Planning & Budget

Dear colleagues,

Meredith Michaels, vice chancellor of planning & budget and chief financial officer, has informed me of her intent to retire, effective Sept. 1, after a 30-year career spanning three University of California campuses and the UC Office of the President.

Appointed to her current role in 2009, Meredith has served as the campus’s compliance officer and CFO, managing UCI’s $2.6 billion budget, institutional research, capital planning and space allocation, real estate services, and trademark and licensing. As vice chancellor, she has developed long-range financial, enrollment, asset management and institutional plans that position UCI as a global leader of academic excellence. Among her many achievements, she shepherded UCI through one of the most significant periods of budget cuts in the height of the Great Recession, ensuring that our campus maintained a strong financial foundation for the future.

Meredith has represented UCI on several prominent systemwide committees, including the Academic Planning Council, the Education Financing Model Steering Committee, Debt Management and the UC Retirement System Advisory Board (serving as chair for the last two years). She has played a vital role in the physical development of our campus, overseeing the planning and funding of the Newkirk Alumni Center, Mesa Court Towers, Continuing Education 1 and the new Paul Merage School of Business building. Her influence also has been felt on several other major projects currently underway, such as the forthcoming Anteater Learning Pavilion, the Convergent Science Building and our two new student housing projects: the expansion of Middle Earth and the next phase of development on the East Campus.

Meredith began her UC career at the Office of the President before becoming the director of community & government relations at UC San Francisco in 1988. She went on to be the assistant director and then director of budget for UCOP and then joined UC Santa Cruz as vice chancellor for planning & budget.

Please join me in thanking Meredith for her dedicated, prudent service to our campus and the entire UC system. She immersed herself in the fabric of UCI, reaching beyond her office to attend events and meet with student and faculty groups to better understand the cultural and operational impact of major financial decisions. Her wisdom, thoughtful planning and sensibility have made a profound impact at UCI and enabled the Anteater community to reach new heights in teaching, research and public service.

We wish Meredith well in this next chapter of life and will miss her presence on campus. Congratulations on a well-deserved retirement.

Fiat Lux,

Chancellor Howard Gillman