RELATED: Engineered choice: How to pick a Greenwood , Executive compensation at UC: MRC Greenwood and the $871 million dollar secret

by Andrew Walden

When the Star-Bulletin and Advertiser write about "ethical lapses" of public officials without actually describing the lapses it is a sure sign that a good story is lurking below the surface.  Of course that is the case with MRC Greenwood, one of the two finalists selected from 600 applicants for the job of UH system President. 

This hidden story involves money-grubbing lesbians, a $30,000 dog run paid for by the UC system, former Communist Party vice-presidential candidate Angela Davis, and one UCSC Chancellor's suicide.  Questions Hawaii reporters should be asking Greenwood include:  "If hired, will UH be expected to also hire Ms Goff and/or your son?"  and "Will you speak up in favor of administrators arranging cushy high-paying jobs for their lovers at UH--or was that just a UC thing?"

RELATED Perspective: October, 2001 DoE Sup't Paul LeMahieu abruptly resigns after questions about his 'relationship' with DoE contractor Kaniu Kinimaka-Stocksdale  (so why are we considering hiring a UH Pres clouded with allegations of hiring a girlfriend???) 

According to the Maui News, May 8 Greenwood's official story goes like this:

"She was chancellor at UC-Santa Cruz from 1996 to 2004, before being appointed to provost of the University of California system, the second-highest position in the university system. She resigned that position in 2005, not because of conflict-of-interest accusations lodged against her, but because she "could no longer support the president...."

Obviously Greenwood rehearsed her story carefully--likely with her lawyer.  In truth her sudden resignation as the UC system Provost came quickly after announcement of an investigation into UC's hiring of Greenwood's alleged girlfriend and son. 

Greenwood claims this was an isolated lapse in an otherwise spotless record.  But Greenwood had publicly spoken up in defense of a similar arrangement involving her successor--the late UCSC Chancellor Denice Denton, and Denton's lover.  UCSC is an ultra-politically-correct 'school' with a very poor record on academic freedom which exports far too many administrators to Hawaii. 

Here's what the San Francisco Chronicle wrote November 5, 2005 when Greenwood quit:

The University of California's second-in-command, Provost M.R.C. Greenwood, abruptly resigned Friday, and another senior administrator was placed on leave after the college system launched an investigation into possible favoritism in hiring.

University officials said the conflict-of-interest inquiry had been opened after The Chronicle, in the course of researching an article, posed questions about the hiring of two people with ties to Greenwood -- her son as well as a friend with whom she owned rental property.

According to UC President Robert Dynes, the university is investigating the possibility of impropriety in Greenwood's decision last year to promote her friend, UC Santa Cruz Vice Provost Lynda Goff, to jobs at UC's headquarters in Oakland. Goff, 56, was first hired as a faculty associate and then as director of UC's new science and math initiative, which carries a salary of $192,100. In addition to being friends, Greenwood and Goff owned rental property together in Davis at the time.

Here is what Hawaii's so-called media isn't telling you.... 

Diversity Is Strength! It's Also… A "Powerful Coterie" Of Larcenous Lesbians -- (Greenwood pops up starting in paragraph 11)

By Steve Sailer   http://www.vdare.com/sailer/061001_diversity.htm 

...(New UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Denice) Denton turned her UC Santa Cruz investiture ceremony into a two-day marathon on the theme of " Achieving Excellence Through Diversity" which featured "inspiration and perspectives from Angela Davis, Professor, History of Consciousness".

Denton's Inaugural Address sounded almost like self-parody: "What is diversity? I believe that diversity encompasses ethnicity, race, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, culture, religion, academic discipline, class, ability/disability, nation of origin, diversity of perspective, age, socioeconomic status, and any other aspect of difference that characterizes humanity."

Yet, being a fiery leftist didn't stop Denton from cashing in. Tanya Schevitz reported in the San Francisco Chronicle (January 20, 2005) on how Denton played the game:  UC hires partner of chancellor: creates $192,000 post for Santa Cruz chief's lesbian lover. ...

"The University of California has quietly created a new $192,000 management position for the longtime partner of the incoming chancellor at UC Santa Cruz.

"Gretchen Kalonji … has been hired as director of international strategy development in the UC Office of the President in Oakland…

"According to UC President Robert Dynes, Kalonji's hiring was part of the recruitment package offered to her partner of seven years, Denice Dee Denton, an engineer who was appointed last December as the new chancellor of UC Santa Cruz. Denton will start in February and will receive a salary of $275,000 and a moving allowance of $68,750.

"In addition to Kalonji's $192,000 annual salary, UC will provide her with the usual faculty housing assistance allowance of up to $50,000 to help with her transition to California and UC and pay her moving expenses. It is a substantial increase from her $134,424 salary at the University of Washington …"

Denton then had the university spend lavishly on the home provided for her. The Chronicle reported:  

"Before she moved into her university-provided house on campus in 2005, she asked for dozens of improvements -- everything from a new fence for her dogs to new wiring, speakers, amplifier and CD player for a built-in sound system, according to university documents. In all, a $600,000 upgrade was made to the home, though it is not clear how many of the improvements were at Denton's request." [UC Santa Cruz chancellor jumps to her death in S.F. , By Cecilia M. Vega and Jaxon VanDerbeken, June 24, 2006]

The dog run for her two border collies cost $30,000.

Denton and Kalonji had a powerful defender in the woman scientist who had previously headed UC Santa Cruz. M.R.C. Greenwood played the gender card in praising the college's two-for-the-price-of-three deal: UCSC "should be commended for attracting and hiring two very qualified female engineers".

(UCSC staffer Linda Rosewood Hooper) wrote:

"MRC [Greenwood] is also a lesbian, and was out when she was a Dean at UC Davis. But although everyone knew it, no one ever reported in the press that she was a lesbian."

Greenwood herself had just moved up to the number two position in the entire University of California system, provost, at $380,000 per year, almost $100,000 more than the man she replaced.  Moreover, Greenwood had quietly brought with her from Santa Cruz a female scientist friend named Lynda Goff, with whom the new provost secretly owned property, to fill the novel post of " Executive Faculty Associate to the Provost", with a salary of $192,100.

Are you noticing a pattern here - involving female UC honchos and $192k salaries for their close personal friends?

Eventually, Greenwood was forced to resign over the ethical improprieties of the post for Goff and the job that she had procured at UC Merced for her son from a failed marriage. 

In November 2005, the managing editor of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Don Miller, wrote about the scandals surrounding Greenwood and Denton, and concluded:

"It also adds fuel to the fire of complaints by faculty and students of a highly paid 'elite' at UC and to the whisper campaign that what is seen by some as a powerful coterie of lesbians has gained power and influence within the UC system." [Don Miller: Strange days and ancient forebodings, November 5, 2005]

For mentioning the L-word, Miller was of course forced to issue a retraction. Which (of course) still wasn't good enough for the diversicrats, so, according to Metroactive.com, a local alternative paper,

"As a result of the Nov. 14 discussion, the Sentinel agreed to run opinion pieces written by community members to address diversity issues, as well as a full 'Reflections on the Investiture [of Denton]' page. Oh yes, and they also agreed to continue diversity training, even though one Sentinel publisher in attendance tellingly whined that 'we've already sat through diversity training.'"

Ironically, once in office, Denton was repeatedly harassed by student protestors even farther to the left. A UCSC staffer noted: "The radical activist community saw two things about Denton: her skin color, and her title."

Despite Denton's endless harping on diversity and on her lesbianism, to the demonstrators she was just another evil white person.

On June 24, 2006, UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Denice Denton, age 46, depressed by professional and personal woes, climbed to the roof of her lesbian lover's luxury 42-story apartment building and leapt to her death.

(Here's the Nov 5, 2005 SF Chronicle article...)

San Francisco Chronicle November 5, 2005:

No.2 official at UC quits suddenly 

University probes possibility of favoritism in hiring of friend and son of provost

The University of California's second-in-command, Provost M.R.C. Greenwood, abruptly resigned Friday, and another senior administrator was placed on leave after the college system launched an investigation into possible favoritism in hiring.

University officials said the conflict-of-interest inquiry had been opened after The Chronicle, in the course of researching an article, posed questions about the hiring of two people with ties to Greenwood -- her son as well as a friend with whom she owned rental property.

According to UC President Robert Dynes, the university is investigating the possibility of impropriety in Greenwood's decision last year to promote her friend, UC Santa Cruz Vice Provost Lynda Goff, to jobs at UC's headquarters in Oakland. Goff, 56, was first hired as a faculty associate and then as director of UC's new science and math initiative, which carries a salary of $192,100. In addition to being friends, Greenwood and Goff owned rental property together in Davis at the time.

"It appears that Provost Greenwood may have been involved in Dr. Goff's hiring to a greater extent than was appropriate, given her business relationship with Dr. Goff,'' said Dynes in a written statement.

Repeated attempts to reach Greenwood and Goff for comment were unsuccessful.

Dynes said he had accepted Greenwood's resignation Friday, a few days after The Chronicle asked UC officials for information about her financial relationship with Goff and her role in Goff's hiring. UC said it was unaware that the pair had jointly owned income property until informed by The Chronicle earlier this week.

In addition, UC is looking into whether one of Greenwood's subordinates, Winston Doby, did anything improper to help Greenwood's son, James Greenwood, land a job in August as a paid senior intern at UC's new campus in Merced. The one-year position includes a $45,000 salary. UC said it had placed Doby, vice president of student affairs, on paid leave pending the completion of the investigation.

"Let me stress there is no presumption of wrongdoing and that the university expects to complete its review of these matters shortly,'' Dynes said.

The Chronicle filed a request with UC on Oct. 25 for information about James Greenwood's hiring at the Merced campus, a request the university responded to Friday after announcing its investigation.

Neither Doby nor James Greenwood could be reached for comment.

Friday's developments were particularly stunning because Greenwood, 62, had been highly regarded in her 16 years with UC. She served as chancellor of UC Santa Cruz for eight years before being promoted in February 2004 to UC provost, overseeing the entire 10-campus system and serving as UC's No. 2 administrator.

"This will be a real blow,'' said Patrick Callan, president of the nonprofit National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. "No senior person has gone down for this sort of thing for a long time."

Callan said the resignation should be a wakeup call for the university to take a harder look at itself in the future.

"We should not have to rely on the press to keep these situations from arising,'' he said.

Greenwood, a nationally recognized leader in science and higher education policy, was credited with revitalizing the UC Santa Cruz campus and expanding its programs. She has also held other high-profile positions, including working as a director for science in former President Bill Clinton's Office of Science Technology Policy. She once headed Vassar College's department of biology and served in several positions at UC Davis before moving to UC Santa Cruz. Dynes said Greenwood, who remains a member of UC's faculty, planned to return to teaching. Greenwood has the option to return to UC Davis, where she taught earlier, but UC spokesman Michael Reese said the details, including her new salary, hadn't been determined.

"I'm deeply saddened,'' said Cliff Brunk, chair of UC's Academic Senate, which represents faculty. "She was an outstanding chancellor at the Santa Cruz campus, and she has been an outstanding provost."

Brunk said Greenwood is a "principled individual" who probably had committed an oversight.

Separately, Brunk also said that Doby, 65, is highly regarded within the UC system. Before moving to the UC president's office in Oakland, Doby worked for three decades at UCLA, including serving as a vice chancellor for student affairs. UC leaders have credited him with improving educational opportunities for students of all backgrounds. He co-founded the Los Angeles-based Young Black Scholars Program, which helps prepare students for college.

Dynes appointed Wyatt Hume, executive vice provost, to fill in for both Greenwood and Doby temporarily.

Despite the cloud over Goff's promotion, Dynes said the investigation should not reflect poorly on her. "This involves only the appropriateness of Provost Greenwood's role in her hiring," he said.

Similarly, Dynes said UC was not questioning James Greenwood's job performance at UC Merced, "where he is reportedly making a valuable contribution."

This is not the first time Greenwood has faced controversy. Some regents objected last year when she was hired as provost with a salary of $380,000 -- nearly $100,000 more than her predecessor.

At the time, Dynes argued she needed the higher salary to cover the cost of buying a home near UC's headquarters in downtown Oakland. Like other UC chancellors, Greenwood previously received free housing on campus.

In addition, her total compensation turned out to be higher than was publicly announced at the time, The Chronicle has learned. In addition to her salary, UC gave her a $125,000 relocation incentive to move the 70 miles from Santa Cruz to Oakland. That was in addition to $17,950 for temporary housing, $9,527 for moving expenses and a low-interest loan to buy a condo in Oakland.

http://www.tineleyspice.org/more.php?id=1064_0_1_0_M

News Flash: Lesbians Rule UC

by Linda Rosewood Hooper  http://people.ucsc.edu/~rosewood/

Many hours before the Sentinal hit our front porch, we had already received the email: Former UCSC Chancellor MRC Greenwood had resigned her job "to return to teaching." MRC is under investigation over two recent personnel actions, one of "her business partner" Professor Lynda Goff, and the other of MRC's son, James.

MORE...

I don't really care about the hiring of the son. The University of California is full of little favors like this.
And I don't really care about MRC's relationship with Lynda Goff either. Obviously they're friends and UC is full of friends helping each other out. One might say that that is what an academic life is all about.
The Sentinal article was pretty good, and I've come to respect Jondi Gumz's reporting. When she can get the information, she writes a balanced story. But Don Miller, now an editor but formerly a reporter back when the Sentinal was really bad, wrote something for the opinion page that really ticked me off.

While the University also said there are no allegations of "wrongdoing," this mess not only could undermine Denton. It also adds fuel to the fire of complaints by faculty and students of a highly paid "elite" at UC and to the whisper campaign that what is seen by some as a powerful coterie of lesbians has gained power and influence within the UC system.

For those of you who aren't up on UC Santa Cruz FooFahs, MRC's replacement, Denise Denton, is lesbian, and when she was appointed, her wife got a job at the UC President's office doing something she is world-known for, I forget what; something about diversity or international scholars. Anyway, MRC is also a lesbian, and was out when she was a Dean at UC Davis. But although everyone knew it, no one ever reported in the press that she was a lesbian. This bugged me, and I finally was able to write an essay about why it did.

I think it is a little late in lesbian history to have to assert, again, that there is nothing shameful about being lesbian, and especially at UCSC. There is nothing secret about being lesbian. The members of your household are no more secret than your race, religion, or class. Private, yes; secret, no. If you're keeping your lesbian life a secret, I call that shame, not modesty.

So, just like everyone else in town, the Sentinal editors and reporters knew that MRC was a lesbian. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that their editorial position was that MRC's lesbian private life was private and not an issue: Not News.
Returning to the Editorial: Yes, there is a highly paid elite at UC. And it has been like that for One Hundred and Twenty Five Years! Yes we're ticked about it, but it's not news.
But "powerful and influential coterie of lesbians?" Are you kidding me? (Did he write "coterie"?) Has the lesbian revolution finally completed? I didn't get the communique. But I did recently get a new job, and I do have more influence on affairs in my department. Oh WOW! I'm a member of the coterie too. Sisterhood IS powerful! woo hoo!

(Here is a selection of articles about the Denton-Kalonji scandals and suicide--and Kalonji's lawsuit seeking Denton's estate)