RIVERSIDE - A committee made up of University of California regents and UC Riverside professors, students and alumni will soon begin a search to find UCR's next chancellor, it was announced today.

Current UCR Chancellor Timothy White, at the university's helm since 2008, will be officially leaving on Dec. 31 to take the job of chancellor of the 23-campus California State University system.

"Chancellor White generated tremendous momentum for UC Riverside," said UC President Mark Yudof. "It's critical that we find the right leader to continue Riverside on its current trajectory and propel it to even greater heights of academic excellence and public service."

Yudof said an advisory committee has been convened for the recruitment effort. The committee will hold its first closed-session meeting on the UCR campus Jan. 10.

Appointees include:

-- Yufof;

-- Sherry Lansing, chair of the UC Board of Regents;

-- UC Regents Eddie Island, Fred Ruiz, Advertisement

[ Carrington Home Loans ] Jonathan Stein, Bruce Varnier and Charlene Zettel;

-- Yolanda Moses, UCR professor of anthropology;

-- Liam Dow, president of UCR Associated Students; and

-- Mary Schuler, president of the UCR Alumni Association.

The committee is expected to complete its work by July and submit its tentative recommendation to the Board of Regents on who should receive the job that month.

Last month, the board confirmed the appointment of UC Santa Barbara professor Jane Close Conoley as acting chancellor for UCR.

Conoley, 65, has been the dean of the UCSB Gevirtz Graduate School of Education since January 2006, and prior to that was the dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University.

She will serve as interim chancellor at UCR until the appointment of a permanent successor.

The regents set Conoley's annual salary at $245,600, plus an automobile allowance of $8,916, for the duration of her stay.