ON THE RECORD
PRADEEP K . KHOSLA
DECAD LEA
A conversation with UC San Diego ’ s chancellor .
BY MALINDA DANZIGER ’ 00
PRADEEP K . KHOSLA , UC San Diego ’ s eighth chancellor , is the dedicated steward of the 62-year-old institution .
He recently announced the close of the Campaign for UC San Diego , an ambitious , 10-year , comprehensive fundraising effort with an initial goal of $ 2 billion . It exceeded all expectations , raising $ 3.05 billion , surpassing the original goal by more than $ 1 billion , making UC San Diego the youngest institution ever to complete a multi-billion-dollar fundraising campaign .
UC San Diego Magazine sat down with the 63-year-old Chancellor Khosla to reflect on the last decade under his leadership — and what ’ s next for this visionary leader .
It ’ s been 10 years since you last spoke with UC San Diego Magazine . How have you changed ?
When I arrived at UC San Diego , I was anxious and impatient to get things done . The first thing I implemented was a strategic planning process , which took longer than I expected … 18 months . But that taught me patience , and if one is more patient , one can get much more done . Through the strategic planning process , we sharpened our mission to be a student-centered , researchfocused , and service-oriented public university . Every decision we make is based around these words .
How would you describe today ’ s UC San Diego student ?
I think today ’ s student is more socially awake . They are more aware of the impact their lifestyle has on the planet and communities around them . They are more focused on equity and the just treatment of others . That ’ s not to say the generations of the past were not socially responsible , but these students demonstrate it in a slightly more self-sacrificing way where they ’ re willing to give up a little bit of their own social comforts for the greater good .
18 FALL 2022