Former Penn State Department Head named Chancellor of University of California at Riverside

10 April 2002 --France A. Córdova, a nationally recognized astrophysicist and former head of the Penn State Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, was named chancellor of the University of California at Riverside yesterday, 9 April.

Córdova, whose appointment will begin on 1 July, served as chief scientist at NASA before coming to University of California at Santa Barbara in 1996. She previously headed the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State from 1989 until 1992 and served as deputy group leader of the Space Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

"I am delighted to hear that Dr. France Córdova is the new Chancellor of the University of California at Riverside," comments Peter Mészáros, distinguished professor and head of the of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State. "She is a forward-looking, energetic leader who cares deeply about the mission and goals of a university, about the intellectual enterprise of learning and research, and about the service to the community. When she was department head here, she aggressively recruited a number of outstanding faculty, which resulted in a very steep rise in the status of our department in the National Research Council rankings. She also embarked on a major campaign of graduate-student recruitment, resulting in the creation of a vibrant, diverse student body. Her boundless energy allowed her simultaneously to do invaluable work on a number of university and national panels and committees, and to do outstanding research that included serving as the U.S. Principal Investigator of a major NASA astrophysics space project, with the European Space Agency. She was greatly missed after she left the department in 1992 to become NASA's Chief Scientist."

"France Córdova brings outstanding academic credentials, solid leadership experience, a commitment to educational opportunity, and a talent for working cooperatively with both the campus community and the broader community,” said Richard C. Atkinson, president of the university. “Her enthusiasm, intelligence, charisma, and record of achievement will make her a superb chancellor.”

Córdova emerged as Atkinson’s top choice for the position after a national search that produced more than 200 candidates. The president was advised by a committee representing Regents; faculty, students, staff, and alumni; and the University of California at Riverside Foundation.

The scientific contributions of Córdova’s career have been in the areas of observational and experimental astrophysics, multi-spectral research on X-ray and gamma ray sources, and space-borne instrumentation. She has published more than 130 scientific papers.

Córdova is the winner of NASA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal. This year, the National Research Council named her a National Associate of the National Academies in recognition of extraordinary service. Córdova was named one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics” by Hispanic Business Magazine in 1997 and again this year has been named one of “80 Elite Hispanic Women” by the magazine. She also received the Hispanic Achievement Award in Science and Technology from Hispanic Magazine in 1997.

Prior to her current appointment, she had been vice chancellor for research at University of California at Santa Barbara since 1996. From 1993 to 1996, she was chief scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, serving as the primary scientific advisor to the NASA administrator and the principal interface between NASA headquarters and the broader scientific community. She held positions at Penn State from 1989 to 1993 and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1979 to 1989.

The oldest of 12 children, Córdova attended high school in La Puente, California, east of Los Angeles. She then entered Stanford University, where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English and, among other activities, conducted anthropology field work in a Zapotec Indian pueblo in Oaxaca, Mexico. She earned a Ph.D. in physics at the California Institute of Technology in 1979.

Córdova and her husband, Christian J. Foster, a science educator, have two children: Anne-Catherine, 15, and Stephen, 14. Córdova’s current web site is http://research.ucsb.edu/news/vcr/vcrhome.shtml. In addition, a video interview with Córdova currently appears on the web site of Hispanic Business Magazine at http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=6526. For a photo of Dr. Córdova and other assistance, contact Michael Reese (PIO), University of California at Riverside, 510-987-9200, michael.reese@ucop.edu

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