Cooper Reverses Course, Says Katehi Should Stay on at UC Davis

March 22, 2016 |

In a reversal of a position he staked out last week, California Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) issued a statement yesterday saying embattled UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi should not resign as he, and several of his colleagues have previously urged.

Cooper was one of five Assemblymembers seeking Katehi's resignation after it was revealed she earned $70,000 as a board member of the for-profit DeVry Education Group. Devry is accused of a variety of predatory practices and misleading claims.  

In addition to serving for DeVry, Katehi also received $420,000 over three years serving as board member of John Wiley & Sons, a college textbook publisher. 

After the dust-up, Katehi resigned from DeVry and donated a portion of her earnings to scholarship. In his statement, Cooper said after talking with Katehi he accepted her explanation and apology.

"I am pleased that Chancellor Katehi has now taken the appropriate steps to address the concerns about serving on multiple boards while serving as Chancellor of UC Davis," Cooper's statement said. "I demanded to speak directly with Chancellor Katehi and given her apology and explanation to me and to the students of UC Davis, I believe that it is in the best interest of our students and to provide continuity of management that she remain in her position and continue the work she is doing for our region.”