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California health sciences administrator Dr. Steve Goldstein will be the 24th president of the University of New Mexico.

The Board of Regents announced its choice from a group of five finalists to succeed President Garnett Stokes on Friday after deliberating for two hours in a closed session. 

Stokes will retire this summer after eight years at UNM.

The Board of Regents conducted the search for Stokes鈥� successor with the help of a 14-person advisory committee which included faculty, students, staff and alumni. The decision to choose Goldstein was unanimous, UNM officials said.

Stokes, in a statement, said she was 鈥渄elighted鈥� to welcome Goldstein to the university.

鈥淗e inherits a university that is stronger, more innovative and more consequential to the people of New Mexico than ever before, and I have every confidence that he will build on that momentum in ways that will continue to benefit our students and our state for years to come,鈥� she said.

Goldstein is vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of California, Irvine, where he oversaw the opening of the schools of pharmacy and public health and expanded clinical care fourfold. Like UNM, UC Irvine is the region鈥檚 only academic health system and a Hispanic-serving institution.

In a statement, Goldstein called his appointment at UNM 鈥渁 profound honor.鈥�

鈥淯NM is a truly distinctive institution: a world-class research university and premier academic health system, committed to the well-being of all the diverse peoples of New Mexico,鈥� he said.

Goldstein is a pediatric cardiologist and a professor of physiology and biophysics. He holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biochemistry from Brandeis University, where he later served as provost, and an M.D. and a Ph.D. in immunology from Harvard University.

He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

UNM is in the midst of a major expansion of its own health sciences programs 鈥� the university plans to double the size of its medical school in the coming years and recently opened a new critical care tower in a bid to serve more patients at its overcrowded hospital.

鈥淭he opportunity to lead an institution with this scope of responsibility and resolve is compelling,鈥� Goldstein said. 鈥淏uilding on the strong foundation that has been laid by outgoing President Stokes and her predecessors, I look forward to joining this community and to all we will accomplish together."

At Brandeis, Goldstein formed the Office of Diversity, and was the dean and chief diversity officer at the medical school at Loyola University Chicago. He held leadership positions at the University of Chicago and the Yale University School of Medicine.

Goldstein鈥檚 contract will be negotiated in the coming weeks, UNM officials said.

UNM Faculty Senate President Roberta Lavin told the Journal in an email she was pleased with the selection and looked forward to working closely with Goldstein.

鈥淲e were fortunate to have a field of exceptional candidates, and I was deeply impressed by the high caliber of everyone involved in the process,鈥� Lavin said. 鈥淒r. Goldstein鈥檚 background particularly stood out to me; I am so glad to see him bring such a rich blend of experience from a university renowned for the liberal arts alongside his robust background in the health sciences. I look forward to a collaborative and productive partnership with him.鈥�

Members of the Graduate and Professional Student Association said they wished Goldstein well.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited for the future of UNM because I trust Goldstein will lead UNM to better from a place of compassion, advocacy, and understanding,鈥� GPSA Council Chair Jacob Griego said in an email.

Incoming GPSA President Marisa Paige said she was eager to begin working with the new UNM president.

鈥淗e recognizes the significance of engaging and working with students and other communities, and I wish him success in his new role,鈥� she said.

At his campus visit Tuesday, Goldstein promised to be an advocate for students and faculty.

鈥淚 believe in the power of higher education to expand opportunity and improve lives,鈥� he said.

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.