University of California Board of Regents Tuesday approved the appointment of Nicholas B. Dirks, dean at Columbia University, as the 10th chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley.

Dirks served as executive vice president and dean of the faculty for Arts and Sciences at Columbia University since 1997. He was named chancellor of University of California by president Mark G. Yudof, after a six-month process of search.

Dirks will succeed Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau on June 1, 2013. Last March, Birgeneau announced that he would relinquish his post at the end of Dec 2012 but has agreed to serve through May 2013.

Dirks said that it was an honor to be named as chancellor of California University. "I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve in a leadership capacity at a truly great institution of higher learning that is both a beacon of excellence and a powerful engine of opportunity," Dirks said, according to a university release. "The university serves the public good by educating individuals from all walks of life and supporting research that affects the lives of many millions of people in California and beyond. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to listen to as many people as possible, and learn about the university from them."

Dirks oversees six schools and 29 departments for the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences at Columbia. Meanwhile, he is also the Franz Boas Professor of anthropology and history.

Dirks has also authored three books on India. He helped build academic programs in areas such as economics, statistics, sustainable development and nanoscience at Columbia. He also led a major diversity initiative for arts and sciences and supported and expanded programs in international, ethnic, African-American and gender studies.

Yudof, president of UC said that he fully believed in his leadership. "Nicholas Dirks is a humanist with an invaluable mix of scholarship, fundraising experience and administrative expertise. I am confident he is the right leader at the right time for UC Berkeley."

UC Regents annual salary:

The UC Regents approved an annual salary of $486,800 for Dirks, with $50,000 of that from private donors and $436,800, the same amount as Chancellor Birgeneau's annual salary, funded by state and other sources. Like Birgeneau, Dirks will receive an annual auto allowance of $8,916.

Meanwhile, the university will also provide him with a house on campus. This housing, suitable for duties such as fundraising, is maintained with non-state funds.

In addition to moving costs, Dirks will receive a one-time relocation allowance to be paid in equal annual installments of $30,425 over four years. The allowance, under UC policy, is intended to offset unreimbursed costs associated with selling his home and relocating his family from the East Coast. If he were to leave the university before the end of the four-year period, he would forfeit any remaining payments, said the university in a statement.

Dirks' Family:

Dirks is married to Janaki Bakhle and has a 13-year-old son. He also has a grown daughter from a previous marriage.