UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl announced Wednesday that he has prostate cancer and will miss three weeks while he recovers from surgery.

In a statement in the Jan. 23 issue of the Berkeleyan, the campus public relations newsletter, Berdahl said the cancer was discovered early and he expects a full recovery.

Prostate cancer occurs mainly in older men and is the most common cause of cancer death for men over 75.

Berdahl plans to leave the school on Feb. 7 for his surgery. UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang said he was confident Berdahl would be back to work in a few weeks.

“He is a highly respected colleague and a good friend,” Yang said. “I am sure that the Berkeley campus will continue to move ahead smoothly in this very short period.”

Berdahl, 64, took over as chancellor at Berkeley in 1997 after 11 years at the University of Texas at Austin.