To many prospective students, she is considered the single most important person at UCLA. During her 22-year tenure, Rae Lee Siporin, director of Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools, admitted nearly 250,000 students to the campus and revolutionized the way many of the nation's top colleges select students for admission. Next month, Siporin will retire, but not before screening 40,600 applicants for the 2001 freshman class.

"UCLA has been my life," said Siporin, who will be moving to Corrales, N.M. "This has definitely been the most challenging and rewarding job that I've ever had. If you're going to be in admissions, UCLA is the place to be."

After earning her B.A. in English from Wayne State University and her M.A. and Ph.D. at UCLA, Siporin taught English at the University of Pittsburgh and served as academic dean at Stockton State College in New Jersey and Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire. She returned to UCLA in 1979 and began the longest tenure of any admissions director at a major research university.

"It's fair to say she runs the best-organized selection process in the UC system and perhaps the nation," said Professor Emeritus Philip Curtis, who has worked alongside her for 20 years as a member and past chair of the UCLA admissions committee.

Employing nearly 100 readers to thoroughly examine each application, Siporin's operation oversees an applicant pool that is the largest of any single campus in the nation. Under her direction, UCLA developed a selection process that has been emulated by universities nationwide. Prior to Proposition 209, Siporin devised a more holistic approach to admitting students in order to get a clearer picture of each applicant. She employed methods that looked at social and economic conditions, whether the applicant resided in a single-parent household or would be a first-generation college student.

Said friend Ramona Cortes Garza, executive director of State Government Relations: "Rae Lee is not afraid to take on challenges and positions that others may not agree with. She has my admiration for always striving to make a difference."

Siporin also was co-founder of the UCLA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Faculty/Staff Net-work. In honor of her outstanding service to the university, the UCLA Alumni Association established the Rae Lee Siporin Scholarship Fund, a fitting tribute to someone who was a first-generation college student and alumni scholar at Wayne State.

"While I'll always regret having to turn down so many excellent students," Siporin said, "I take comfort in knowing that I've also given many students a chance."

Donations to The UCLA Foundation/Rae Lee Siporin Fund may be sent to C.R. Van Dyk, UCLA Alumni Association, James West Alumni Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1397.