RIVERSIDE - University of Idaho President Tim White has been named the chancellor of the University of California at

Riverside.

The University of California Regents made the appointment Thursday. They also approved a pay package for White, but details of the deal were not immediately disclosed.

White told the University of Idaho he was in job discussions with another institution in late April.

The UC Riverside campus is approximately 55 miles outside Los Angeles and includes 17,000 students.

White was named University of Idaho president in 2004, as the university faced budget cuts, faculty turnover, and a financial scandal that stemmed from a failed expansion project in Boise.

White will replace France Córdova, who left in June to become president of Purdue University. He was not in his office Wednesday, and no one answered at his home number.

White told the Idaho Board of Regents and senior university leaders a few weeks ago that he had been approached by and had entered into discussions with another institution.

"During his time as President, Tim White has provided leadership that has helped the University of Idaho move forward in ways few thought possible," Idaho State Board of Education president Milford Terrell said in a prepared statement.

Terrell said a meeting with top UI managers will be held May 20th to discuss next steps for the school.

"We will move quickly in a national search for Tim's replacement. We'll find the very best fit for the University, the students, faculty and all involved," Terrell said.

Robert Grey, a professor and former UC Davis executive vice chancellor, has been UCR's acting chancellor.

White is expected to be appointed this morning and to be on campus at 4 p.m. to meet with faculty, staff and students in the University Theater.

White became president of the University of Idaho in 2004, which was a tumultuous time for the institution

"We were in very serious financial straits," said Tom Bitterwolf, a chemistry professor at Idaho. "We were bleeding badly, millions of dollars in the red. Tim came into an extraordinarily difficult position as president."

Under White, Bitterwolf said, the university regained its financial footing, launched several initiatives and began to aggressively rebuild its faculty, which had lost a number of members to early retirement.

According to his online profile, White appointed a Vision and Resources Task Force composed of faculty and staff from across the university to develop ideas and recommendations for the university's long-term design. He worked to expand research activities and hired a diversity director to recruit black, Hispanic and Native American students and faculty.

His commitment to diversity is a plus at UCR, which has 17,000 students and is one of the nation's most ethnically diverse campuses. White was born in Argentina and was a first-generation college graduate.

White earned his Ph.D. in physiology at UC Berkeley. He was interim president, provost and executive vice president of Oregon State University before going to Idaho in 2004.

Oregon State President Ed Ray called White a "very smart, very articulate and very caring individual."

"I think the world of Tim, and I think he'd make a good president in many, many institutions," he said.

White and his wife, Karen, had a baby, Logan, in 2004, Ray said.

"I've already told Tim I'm counting on Logan coming here in about 12, 13, 14 years to help on our offensive line."

White is internationally recognized for his work in muscle plasticity, injury and aging. His wife, who specializes in bone health and the prevention of falls by the elderly, is on the university's exercise and sport science department faculty.

Reach Elaine Regus at 951-368-9478 or eregus@PE.com