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The University of California Board of Regents voted unanimously Thursday to appoint Mark Yudof, currently head of the University of Texas system, to lead the 10-campus UC system. 

The appointment was made at a regents meeting at the UC San Francisco-Mission Bay campus. 

Richard Blum, who chairs both the UC Board of Regents and the search committee, said in a statement, “I am delighted that Mark Yudof has agreed to lead the UC system and serve as its next president. 

“I cannot think of a more qualified person to meet the day-to-day challenges and provide the long-term vision that is needed at this time in the university’s history,” said Blum. 

Yudof, 63, will replace current UC President Robert Dynes, who last August announced his intention to step down no later than June 2008 after nearly five years in the position.  

Yudof’s appointment is effective this summer, with the exact date to be determined. He will get a compensation package valued at $828,000 for the 2008-09 academic year.  

“I am deeply honored by this appointment. The University of California stands as a model for the world, creating tomorrow’s leaders and innovators and helping to solve many of society’s most pressing problems,” Yudof said. 

He added, “I can think of no greater personal privilege than to have the opportunity to lead this remarkable institution.” 

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “The regents have made a terrific choice in selecting Mark Yudof to be the next president of the University of California. As one of the nation’s most important and respected university leaders, Mr. Yudof has a proven record of great achievements.” 

“I am confident that his broad range of executive and academic expertise will serve the university and the people of California well,” Schwarzenegger said of the appointee. 

Yudof has served as chancellor of the University of Texas system since 2002 and UC officials describe him as one of the leading figures in American higher education. 

He heads one of the largest university systems in the country, with 15 campuses, 185,000 students and an annual operating budget of $10.7 billion. 

Yudof previously was president of the University of Minnesota.  

Before serving as chief executive in Minnesota, Yudof was a faculty member and dean and provost at University of Texas at Austin for 26 years.  

Yudof, a native of Philadelphia, earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the American Law Institute, and a member of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, an appointment President Bush made in 2006.  

The University of California includes more than 220,000 students, 170,000 faculty and staff, and an $18 billion annual budget at its 10 campuses throughout the state. 

The UC system also is involved in managing the U.S. Department of Energy’s national laboratories at Berkeley, Livermore and Los Alamos, N.M.