The University of California may name a new president for its 10-campus system as soon as today, according to various news reports, and the leading candidate is Mark G. Yudof, who is chancellor of the University of Texas system.

An article in this morning’s Los Angeles Times cited “several knowledgeable sources” as saying that Mr. Yudof’s appointment was not a done deal but that he is seen as the strongest candidate and his experience at a large public university system with both undergraduate programs and medical centers would make him a good fit for the California job.

The Austin American-Statesman, in Texas, is reporting that Mr. Yudof flew to California this morning. The reporter said he had reached the chancellor at home in Austin just before midnight last night. Mr. Yudof was “polite but declined to comment,” the reporter said.

The University of Texas system, which Mr. Yudof has led since 2002, has nine campuses and six health institutions. Before taking over in Texas, Mr. Yudof served as president of the University of Minnesota, where he aggressively fought to increase state funds for higher education. (If he gets the new job, he would probably face that battle again in California, where revenues are flatlining and colleges are facing budget cuts.)

In an opinion essay that appeared last month in The Chronicle, Mr. Yudof explored the question of whether university systems, like his in Texas and those in California, are a good idea and can truly add value to the work of their campuses.

His conclusion? They can’t completely resolve the messy interplay among colleges, and between them and political leaders, but systems can be useful if authority is properly allocated, he wrote.

The University of California’s search for a new president comes as it looks to restore confidence in its operations after facing scandals over executive compensation and receiving audits critical of its management practices. Just yesterday, system officials proposed a plan to significantly streamline the president’s office.

The university’s departing president, Robert C. Dynes, announced his resignation last August. —Sara Hebel