Wishing UC Merced's Steve Kang well as he leaves chancellor post

A first-time visitor to Merced was sitting in a local restaurant in March 2007 when he found himself joined by an Asian couple who introduced themselves as "Steve and Mia."

It took a few minutes for the visitor to realize that this was the new chancellor for the University of California at Merced he'd been reading about.

When asked, Steve Kang confirmed that, yes, indeed, he was the new chancellor — and he did so with a modesty that characterized his approach as a man, a scientist and a chancellor.

Last week's news that Kang is stepping down in June to resume his career as a scientist and researcher caught many on campus and in the community by surprise.

The university, the community and the entire region owe a debt of gratitude to this soft-spoken man — born, raised and educated in South Korea — for 4½ years of dedicated service. Likewise, his wife, Mia, has made an indelible mark for her constant efforts to forge closer bonds between the campus and community.

The chancellor was known for his approachability, as evidenced by the story of a new student and her parents who got lost on the campus a few years back. As they were studying a map, a slim bespectacled man in a suit walked up, asked if he could help and then guided them to their destination.

Their Sherpa? No, the chancellor.

Whether meeting with community members or newspaper editors, Kang always had facts, figures and perspective at his fingertips. He was prepared. He was poised. He was passionate.

Maybe it's his roots. Maybe it's the rigors of discipline imposed by a lifetime of research and experiments. Whatever the cause, Kang preferred compromise to confrontation.

Who else could have dealt with the polarizing forces that wanted to bring Michelle Obama to campus last year and Karl Rove this one? Opposite ends of the political spectrum, but both came and spoke. That's because Kang guarded the freedom of scholarly inquiry with quiet zeal.

With numerous patents to his name, especially in the field of integrated circuits, Kang will continue to pursue vital research, which only can benefit the UC system.

We don't know who will succeed Kang. We do know that his years of stewardship have been good for the university and our communities.

An old Korean proverb goes, "Catch not at the shadow and lose the substance." With Steve and Mia Kang, the university, community and our entire region gained the substance of two kind and generous people. We wish them well on the next phase of their journey.