Timothy P. White, the president of the University of Idaho, was named the next UC Riverside chancellor by the UC Board of Regents during their meeting on Thursday.

The announcement came two days after the inauguration of UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and marks another change in University of California executive leadership.

White is set to take office Sept. 1, 2008.

“(UC Riverside) is rapidly ascending to the next level of distinction and public contribution through teaching, research and creative activity, and engagement through outreach. I am excited by the opportunity to help it make that ascent,” White said in a statement.

Over the last five years, seven of the nine UC campuses serving undergraduates have received new chancellors, in addition to a new UC president this year, according to university records.

White, who was born in Argentina, is a naturalized U.S. citizen and a first-generation college student.

“My father, in the face of Juan Perón’s tyranny and against the wishes of his family and friends, made the courageous decision to leave Argentina in the early 1950s when I was a young boy,” White said in a speech at his University of Idaho inauguration.

White attended Diablo Valley Community College, CSU Fresno and CSU Hayward before receiving his Ph.D. in exercise physiology at UC Berkeley.

He has served in faculty positions at the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley and Oregon State University prior to his appointment at Idaho in 2004, and is an expert in muscle plasticity, injury and aging, according to a press release.

Outgoing UC President Robert C. Dynes, who recommended the appointment, said that White’s diverse background and commitment to public education will make him ideal for the position.

“He has a unique grasp of the mission of land-grant universities and a passion for that mission. His multicultural roots and personal experience with higher education have given him a deep commitment to diversity and inclusiveness,” Dynes said in a statement.

Students at UC Riverside have also embraced his leadership promises.

“(White) is an excellent fit to our university who will assist in our campus expansion, growth and progress. He will not only help better the growth of UCR, but also that of the students,” said Roxanna Sanchez, incoming president of the campus’ Associated Undergraduate Students Senate.

White replaces Chancellor France A. Córdova, who stepped down in 2007 to become president of Purdue University. Robert D. Grey, an executive vice chancellor at UC Davis, has served during the interim.

White and his wife, Karen, are the parents of four children. He will receive an annual salary of $325,000, a relocation stipend of $25,000 and additional health and retirement benefits, according to UC Riverside officials.