SAN FRANCISCO – The chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) has died in an apparent suicide.
Denice Dee Denton, 46, jumped from the 43-story Paramount luxury apartment building June 24. She had been on medical leave since June 15 and was due to return June 26.
UCSC Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David Kliger said in a statement released June 24 that “The death of Chancellor Denice Denton today in San Francisco is a tremendous loss. We are deeply saddened for the campus and for her family and many friends.
“Denice Denton was a highly accomplished person- a woman who dedicated her life and career to opening doors for countless young people, particularly for women and minorities who wanted to pursue careers in engineering and science. She led this campus with clear statements of the importance of education in transforming lives and in creating opportunities for all. She, herself, had lived that experience, rising from modest means to achieve with distinction at every stage in her life.
“During Chancellor Denton’s tenure here, she devoted herself toward strengthening UC Santa Cruz. Those of us who worked closely with Denice valued her intelligence, humor and commitment to the ideals of diversity and higher education. We are deeply saddened by her death.”
Denton had been criticized for creating a $192,000-a-year position for her longtime partner. She was also under fire for negotiating $600,000 worth of home renovations in her contract.
She was hired by UCSC in 2004.
