Young plans active retirement

Young plans active retirement

Chancellor intends to stay involved in UCLA fund-raising
campaign

By Phillip Carter

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

After 27 years at the helm of UCLA, it would be impossible for
Chancellor Charles Young to fade away quietly after his June 1997
retirement – nor does he intend to do so.

In an interview with The Bruin announcing his retirement, the
university executive said he is "planning to continue to be
especially active in regard to the future of UCLA."

Young said his agenda will focus on the upcoming $1 billion UCLA
fund-raising campaign, which has been his brainchild. University
observers said its success or failure hinges on Young’s level of
involvement in that campaign.

"I want to see the campaign not only launched, but launched and
moved along far enough that it is clear that we’re going to succeed
in achieving our goal," said Young, adding that meant raising
between 35 and 50 percent of the billion-dollar goal before "going
public" with the campaign.

Calling it "among the most important endeavors the campus has
ever undertaken" in his retirement letter, Young stressed the
importance of this campaign to UCLA’s future. This emphasis grew
from what Young labeled as his most important achievement: the
establishment of UCLA as an elite research university.

"We’re one of the top universities in the country, and I think
that’s happened in large measure because of what I and a number of
others have been able to do in the last quarter of a century,"
Young said. "We’ve improved the quality of the faculty, the
students, the facilities (and) the support in teaching and
research."

Both at UCLA and across the country, educational leaders said
that Young’s stature and ability to raise money was one of his
strongest assets. C. Peter Magrath, president of the National
Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, said
that Young redefined the standards of excellence for university
executives.

"Chuck Young (was) a giant among university chancellors and
presidents," Magrath said. "His influence within the University of
California and nationally will forever be felt – he has been an
impact player in American higher education."

But in addition to the fund-raising campaign, Young said he
wanted to see through his "Responsibility Center Management"
program on campus. That system revolutionizes the way UCLA funds
are spent by making each organization on campus responsible for its
own resource allocations.

Also, Young indicated that he would fill several vacancies in
the top levels of UCLA’s administration before leaving. These
include four dean posts, in addition to the vice chancellor for
academic planning and budget. Only recently was UCLA able to fill
its No. 2 post of executive vice chancellor with Charles
Kennel.

"I hope to devote a substantial amount of time to filling in
what gaps there are in administrative infrastructure," he said.
"And also to getting a team in place which I think will serve not
only for the next 16 months but on into the next millennium."

But personally, Young indicated that he didn’t want to "vegetate
in retirement," and looked forward to being active in the Los
Angeles community with his new-found free time.

"I hope I’ll have more time to devote to educational reform,
which is where I’m most actively engaged at the present time, (and
also in) medical reform, where I think I’ll be increasingly
involved," Young predicted. "I would also hope to be able to be
able to play a major role in higher educational matters, both in
California and nationally."

Indeed, Young has been extremely active in his extracurricular
activities while serving as chancellor. He currently serves on
Intel Corporation’s board of directors, and has held several posts
in the National Collegiate Athletics Association. During the 1984
Olympics, Young worked closely with Olympic Committee Chair Peter
Ueberroth in making UCLA a focal point of that athletic
contest.

Virtually no one in higher education foresaw Young fading away
from the higher education scene.

"He’ll be around for years, continuing his devotion to the
university," said Regent William Bagley, whose association with
Young goes back to when Bagley was a state legislator.

Because of his lingering presence, another regent commented that
finding a replacement for Young would be no easy task.

"I (am glad) that he’s going to delay his retirement for at
least a year or so," said Regent Roy Brophy, who has sat on the
boards of the UC, CSU and community college systems. "It’s going to
be very difficult to fill the shoes of Chuck Young."

JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin

The many faces of Chancellor Charles Young, who plans to remain
involved in the future of UCLA after his retirement in June
1997.

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