UC Santa Barbara’s New Chancellor, Dennis Assanis, Inaugurated at Lobero Theatre

It’s not every day that Americans witness a coronation. 

For the first time in 30 years, a new chancellor of UC Santa Barbara was inaugurated in front of a packed house at the Lobero Theatre on Thursday, May 27. Dennis Assanis may not have received a crown, but he did get a medal amid all the traditional pomp and circumstance.

Assanis, the university’s sixth chancellor, took the helm from former chancellor Henry Yang in September 2025, following a year-long, nationwide search. Yang, for unknown reasons, did not attend the ceremony. However, Assanis did start his speech with a thank-you to Yang, who led the school for 31 years and was the last chancellor to be inaugurated back in 1995. 

His ceremony started with a string of laurels from dignitaries — local and state, including Santa Barbara mayor Randy Rowse and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis — university staff, students, and colleagues and friends from his long career in education. Sentiments about next chapters and past accomplishments were sewn together, and the looming uncertainties around higher education — political, financial, technological — were generally acknowledged. 

But overall, it was nonstop praise for Assanis.

By his side was his wife of 45 years, Eleni, who was frequently mentioned as Assanis’s right-hand woman, an equal to whom their combined success was attributed. Assanis himself described her as his “partner, collaborator,” and “first lady.” Others labeled them a team, “on and off the court.”

Assanis himself was described in overwhelmingly glowing terms: infectiously enthusiastic, boundlessly energetic, charismatic, curious, and compassionate. He is a “rare mind, the kind that knows the details and can see the horizon at the same time,” said his former colleague Levi Thompson, current dean of engineering at the University of South Florida.

Speakers touched on his roots in Athens, Greece, where he was born and raised — connecting the foundational city for academia to Assanis’s lifelong quest in higher education — and where one of his two sons and his 98-year-old mother were watching via livestream.  

Former colleagues praised his pursuits: three master’s degrees and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — “Who does that?” joked one — his time leading schools, particularly his most recent office as president of the University of Delaware (UD); and his appointment to Joe Biden’s presidential council of advisors on science and technology.

Assanis left UD a year early, amid mixed reviews of his performance during the pandemic. But John R. Cochran, former chair of the UD board of trustees, spoke highly of him and his contributions to academics and access at the university, investing much in the college’s capacity for scientific and technological research and record-amounts into financial aid for students.  

“He identifies ambitious opportunities and then he rolls up his sleeves and gets to work, bringing people together and generating this otherworldly momentum that I would refer to as the ‘Assanis effect,’” Cochran said. “He is a change agent and a builder with a boundless imagination.”

He used an analogy to illustrate Assanis’s persistence: Assanis “patiently took the time to let me teach him the art of properly dressing and eating a Maryland blue crab … it’s not that easy to do. And, Dennis, you’re a pro at it.”

UCSB faculty and students said Assanis’s time working with them has already generated optimism and general favor for their new leader. 

Susannah Scott, distinguished professor in chemical engineering who served on the search committee for a new chancellor, said, “Dennis Assanis is someone with really big ideas — he understands what our faculty, staff, and students are capable of. I thought this is the right person for UC Santa Barbara at this moment in time. I’m really looking forward to working with our new chancellor to raise the profile of UC Santa Barbara even more, and to get our amazing campus decarbonization fund underway and become one of the most carbon-free universities in the world.”

“After listening to all of them, I’m really glad we hired you,” said University of California president James B. Milliken before presenting the chancellor’s medal to Assanis, a symbol of authority bestowed by the UC Regents.

When Assanis took to the podium, he outlined his plans for campus development, sustainability initiatives, and expanding educational programs, while stressing the importance of collaboration, inclusivity, and preparing students for a rapidly changing world.

“Over the past nine months, I have been listening carefully and witnessing the sheer brilliance of this academic community,” Assanis said. “Eleni and I have spent time with our outstanding faculty, touring labs and classrooms to better understand your dynamic scholarship, teaching and research. We have seen the ingenuity and unmatched dedication of our staff who power every aspect of our campus operations.”

He said that throughout his life and career, he has been inspired by the Greek concept of “areté,” or excellence, attributing that same concept to UCSB’s long, storied history, complete with academic milestones and an array of award-winning accomplishments. 

“As a first-generation college graduate, I deeply understand the unparalleled impact higher education can have,” he said. “It is a ladder of opportunity at UC Santa Barbara.”

He reflected on the choice to hold the ceremony at the Lobero Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara as representative of the university’s longtime connection and commitment to the city and local communities, including, most recently, the university’s newly acquired State Street properties  and OASIS facility in Goleta. 

He spoke of expanding on-campus housing options for students, such as the new San Benito and East Campus student housing developments to provide thousands of beds. 

“Our main campus will always be at the heart of our agenda, but I also want us to open up the aperture and identify new ways to define our campus itself and our boundaries,” he said.

He said he wants to expand hybrid and online learning opportunities for students, citing the university’s new online Master of Engineering and Technology Leadership degree — which will be available in fall 2027 — and additional programs in the works.

He added that jobs and careers will “keep evolving,” and graduates will have to confront an “unprecedented pace of change” — so they must teach them to be resilient and agile, “fluent in the technology of the future, but not swept away by temporary trends and short term thinking,” he said, noting the university’s new Bachelor of Science degree in AI. 

“We want to make sure that our students recognize that AI is a technology tool, not a substitute for knowledge, ability, or lived experience,” he said.

Lastly, he stressed a commitment to “inclusive excellence.”

“I have always strived to cultivate a campus climate where students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds feel welcome, engaged, and free to express competing ideas, beliefs, and perspectives,” he explained. “Empowering diverse communities to realize their talents and dreams for societal impact and transformation is an undeniable force of nature.

“Today, our world is in need of solutions to numerous challenges — energy, disease, discrimination, climate change, economic prosperity, housing, cybersecurity, and much more,” he continued. “At the same time, the rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping our society — from the workforce and economy to the ways we communicate, connect, teach, and learn. This is a moment for big ideas … a moment where UC Santa Barbara can make a lasting impact on society.

“We’re multilingual, multicultural, pluralistic, and proud of it,” he said. “So, all that in mind, our message to Santa Barbara, and our partners across the state of California and beyond, is UC Santa Barbara is here for you. We have a shared future, and we want to build it together.”