Michael R. Arias served as a UCI staff member for nearly 40 years. He joined UCI in 1979, starting as support staff for the School of Physical Sciences. Two years later, he became director of the academic budget until 1990, when he was named assistant dean of the School of Social Sciences. In 1998, he was recruited to be associate executive vice chancellor and chief of staff. Mike has played many critical roles in the university, where senior leadership relied greatly on his deep knowledge and insightful advice. As one of Chancellor Gillman’s principal advisers from 2014 until his retirement in 2018, Mike played a major role in every significant initiative in recent years, including the development of the UCI strategic plan, the establishment of the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, the creation of the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, the gift of the Buck Collection of California art, the construction of two student housing complexes and the Anteater Learning Pavilion, and the planning for the Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Building. He also served on the UCI Foundation board of trustees and the Chief Executive Roundtable, demonstrating admirable skill in connecting with our external partners. His decades of contributions have been enormously valuable and will benefit UCI for generations to come. A proud alumnus, earning his bachelor’s degree in social sciences magna cum laude, Mike was secretary of the UCI Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
