Dean E. McHenry (18 October 1910 – 17 March 1998) was an American professor of political science, and the founding chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz.
McHenry was born in Lompoc, California north of Santa Barbara, and received his bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA in 1932, and went on to receive a master's degree at Stanford University in 1933 and a Ph.D. at U.C.
During his time at UCLA, he ran for several political offices, including mayor of Los Angeles and for the United States Congress; he also authored numerous books.
[3] In 1958, Kerr, McHenry's former roommate at Stanford, quickly recruited him to the post of academic assistant to the president.
McHenry served on the team that drafted California's Master Plan for Higher Education in 1960.