By Brad Hayward
UCOP News Service

University of California President Richard C. Atkinson — who sparked national reforms in college admissions testing and spearheaded new approaches to admissions and outreach in the post-affirmative action era at UC — announced Nov. 13 that he will retire next year.

Atkinson took office Oct. 1, 1995, and will have served for eight years when he steps down Oct. 1, 2003, at age 74. Only four of UC’s 17 presidents have served longer. At the time of his retirement, Atkinson will have spent the last 27 years as either director of the National Science Foundation, chancellor of UC San Diego or president of the UC system.

“That is a lengthy period of time for positions of this kind,” Atkinson told the UC Board of Regents, meeting in San Francisco. “These have been extremely rewarding years — challenging, stimulating and deeply interesting years. But the time has come to bring them to a close, and to allow the university to move forward under new leadership.”

At a press conference, Atkinson said that he took on the job “rather late in life,” and that while he enjoyed his tenure, he would like to spend more time with his wife and grandchildren, and, he quipped, “I really would like to sleep about eight hours a night.”

After stepping down, Atkinson and his wife, Rita, will return to San Diego, where they lived from 1980 to 1995 during his tenure as chancellor of UC San Diego. The Board of Regents will conduct a national search for his successor. Regent Chairman John Moores, who will appoint the search committee, said, “I was deeply sorry to learn of his decision to retire, but he has certainly earned it after a lifetime of contributions to education.”

Said Chancellor Albert Carnesale: “Richard Atkinson has done a masterful job of leading the University of California. Under his guidance, we have seen substantial growth and improvement in all aspects of our mission: education, research and service. He has served the people of California extraordinarily well.” Carnesale was appointed to lead UCLA by Atkinson in 1997.

“Over the next 10 months, I will work to keep the university’s budget on as firm a footing as possible and to provide a smooth transition for my successor as president,” Atkinson said. “But for the long term, this university’s success lies in the capable hands of our creative, energetic and dedicated community of people.”

Atkinson, whose research has dealt with problems of memory, cognition and learning, spent three years in UCLA’s Department of Psychology.