The first University of California president to be hired from outside the system since 1899, Mark Yudof does not fit the regal profile of past UC leaders.

He chews on a fat cigar and makes jokes about his sparse hair. He sports the burnt-orange ties of his employer, the University of Texas, during trips to UC's Oakland headquarters and sucks down Coca-Cola Zero like he's in the Texas heat.

But behind his down-home manner is a man brought in to change the 10-campus university system to its very core.

Hired to replace Robert Dynes in the aftermath of a management meltdown in which California university administrators flouted, circumvented and violated college policies governing pay and perks, the 63-year-old Yudof knows his mission when he officially takes over next month.

"I've really got to get the trains running on time (at UC). There are a lot of things I believe in, like global initiatives and dealing with the deferred maintenance on campus and being absolutely competitive for faculty," he said in a recent interview in the East Bay.

"But I've got to get the platform right. I've got to regain the trust of Californians and the Board of Regents. I've got to get our (number of employees) down and our budgets down. Then we can start talking about what else we want to do," Yudof said.

Yudof, a former law professor and expert on education and constitutional law, has been embraced by faculty, students and administrators as the right choice for the job. His experience in heading the complex, multi-campus Texas and Minnesota university systems was a key factor in his selection and will be important as UC seeks to right itself.

In Texas, he has grappled extensively with diversity, an issue he will face at UC, and he has done his time in budget battles, once sparring with then-Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura over state support for the university there. His fight to hold down tuition in Texas also makes him attractive in California, where student tuition and fees have gone stratospheric in recent years.

When he officially begins his new job on June 16, Yudof will arrive in the midst of a major reorganization of the office of the president, including a 10 percent cut across all departments and the relocation of some operations out to the campuses.

Although the process was started before his appointment, he said he doesn't like across-the-board cuts and therefore will review every department to see if the planned cuts are enough — or too much, in some cases.

He plans to ask the chancellors of all 10 campuses to rate the president's office on how well it is serving their needs.

"My view is that Californians ought to appreciate how important the University of California is even if they don't have a family member attending the institution," Yudof said.