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Norman Abrams, a UCLA professor emeritus of law, was appointed by UC President Robert Dynes to se

When Norman Abrams stepped onto campus in 1959 to assume a faculty position, he never thought he would one day step into the chancellor’s office to assume the position of chief executive of the university.

But when University of California President Robert Dynes approached Abrams about accepting the post, Abrams considered and eventually accepted the prospect of sitting behind the large mahogany desk with the “Chancellor” nameplate.

Abrams, a professor emeritus of law, will act as the interim chancellor starting July 1st, immediately following the end of Chancellor Albert Carnesale’s nine-year term.

Simultaneously, an advisory committee appointed by Dynes continues to search for a permanent chancellor.

Abrams’ term could be as short as a few months, but it could be as long as a year or more. The most likely scenario is that, though the position may be filled in the next few months, the new chancellor may not be able to start his or her duties until the next school year, Abrams said.

Maximo Langer, a professor at the law school who has known Abrams for three years, said he thinks of Abrams as a “very kind, generous and thoughtful person and scholar.”

“I think that he will be an excellent chancellor. He is an experienced scholar and administrator, a very likable individual, and he knows UCLA like no other person,” said Langer, who has exchanged feedback with Abrams on research projects the two have conducted independently.

And indeed Abrams has had much experience as administrator.

Since 1959, Abrams has been a professor in the School of Law, teaching in the areas of federal criminal law, anti-terrorism law and evidence. During this time, Abrams also served as the vice chancellor of academic personnel from 1991 to 2001 and the interim dean of the law school from 2003 to 2004.

Abrams received his Artium Baccalaureus degree – similar to a Bachelor of Arts – from the University of Chicago in 1952 and continued his higher education to earn his Juris Doctor, a professional law degree, from the University of Chicago in 1955.

Years of experience in law may be helpful to Abrams in his work as chancellor, but Abrams said other experiences will help him more.

“I think legal training is useful for many things, but I think more important is the diversity of experiences that I’ve had both in the law school and on the campus. I know the campus quite well,” Abrams said. “That familiarity will serve (me) well.”

Langer said he remembers Abrams as a very good administrator and said “we were lucky to have him as an interim dean at the law school for a year.”

Tall and thin with gentle eyes, Abrams has strong leadership skills, a quality that Dynes noted in a statement.

“Professor Abrams is an accomplished scholar and administrator, and he knows the UCLA community well,” Dynes said.

Similar to Dynes and Langer, Herbert Morris, a professor emeritus of philosophy and law who has known and worked with Abrams for about 50 years, said Abrams possesses qualities that would make his tenure as acting chancellor a great success.

“There is his wide experience with a range of different academic matters. In addition he combines a remarkable range of virtues: He is cool and patient under fire, ... he solicits the views of all concerned parties before making a decision, he is decisive after conscientious consideration of the issue before him, and he has a sense of humor,” said Morris of Abrams’ strengths.

“His weaknesses? Here I am stumped. Perhaps an over-inflated estimate of his table tennis skills?” Morris joked.

Abrams expressed excitement about taking the role of chancellor.

“UCLA is a very special place. I think of the UC as being one of the great universities not only of the United States, but also of the world. UCLA and our sister institution up north (UC Berkeley) are the crown jewels of the UC. It’s an exciting challenge to be able to serve that institution,” Abrams said.

Abrams said sees his role as the acting chancellor as analogous to the role of the captain of a ship.

“The university is like a moving ship, a great ocean line,” Abrams said. “It’s heading toward its goals.”

The role of the acting chancellor, according to Abrams, is to keep the ship moving either at least at the speed it was going before or at a greater speed.

And while the UCLA ship seems to be sailing smoothly, larger issues such as declining admissions of underrepresented minority students and decreased state funding to the university within higher education still lurk beneath the waters.

Abrams said he sees the need for sufficient resources for universities as the most disconcerting issue facing the UC. He said he believes it is crucial to support higher education institutions because they can provide economic and technological advancements, among other benefits.

“(Universities) are avenues for upward mobility. So the values are immeasurable, but I don’t believe at this point in history that (that) value is as appreciated as it should be,” he said.

To help resolve this problem, Abrams said, “I think we need to do as much fundraising as we can from private sources.”

Abrams’ philosophy is similar to that of Carnesale, who will be leaving the chancellor position in five days. Both think financial resources are lacking and say the solution can be found in fundraising.

During his tenure, Carnesale oversaw a large-scale fundraising project that brought the university more than $3 billion in private donations.

Abrams said he will borrow philosophies from Carnesale because he has been an “outstanding chancellor,” but Abrams was also quick to note that he has had the “privilege of working during the tenures of four past chancellors.”

The four chancellors Abrams refers to are Vern Knudsen, Franklin Murphy, Charles Young and Albert Carnesale.

“Each (chancellor) had great strengths. I’ve always tried to learn from those I work with and in terms of philosophy. I think the philosophies of all of these men were founded on the answer to one basic question: what’s in the best interest of UCLA,” Abrams said.

“That was the guiding star for all of them, and that will be my guiding star,” he added.

In 1959, when Abrams began his relationship with the UCLA family, he remembers UCLA as a much smaller place without most of the buildings that are on campus today.

“I do remember walking around the campus and thinking how beautiful it was, and I still feel the same way. We are, in my judgment, the most beautiful of the campuses. So I was thrilled by being here, and I was much younger, but I was still challenged at that time by the prospect of what lay before me ... just as I am today,” Abrams said.

And though Abrams will go back to scholarship once a permanent successor to Carnesale takes office, he hopes the permanent chancellor will contribute to UCLA’s history of success.