Casteen to retire next summer

University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III announced Friday that he will step down on Aug. 1, 2010, clearing the way for new leadership at the nation’s No. 2 ranked public university for the first time in two decades.

Casteen, 65, has led UVa since 1990. He is the university’s seventh president. When his tenure ends next summer, he will be concluding his 20th year in the role.

“To come here as president, to work these 20 years in good times and bad, to be surrounded by family and friends and many generous colleagues, to have a part in making our university the global force that it now is, to share this work and place with Betsy and our children — these have been the substance and privileges of my life here,” Casteen wrote in a letter to the UVa community. “Ending this chapter of our lives is not an easy thing, and yet a time to step aside to make way for others comes for all of us and to me. I am profoundly grateful for these years.”

During Casteen’s time as UVa’s president, he implemented the university’s financial aid program called Access UVa; he oversaw two of the most ambitious fundraising campaigns in the country; he led a restructuring of the university that gave the institution a greater level of autonomy in terms of hiring, construction and fundraising; and he presided over the creation of the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, the first new school at UVa in 50 years.

“I don’t think there is anyone in this room who would not agree that he is someone who is responsible for a great deal of success at the university,” W. Heywood Fralin, rector of UVa, said at a news conference Friday at the Rotunda. “We all owe him a great deal of gratitude.”

Fralin described Casteen’s retirement as a “bittersweet moment” and called Casteen “the father of the modern University.” Only the University of California-Berkeley has a higher ranking among public universities.

“It’s sad to lose an icon, someone that you very much respect,” Fralin said.

Casteen’s departure will come a bit earlier than expected, as UVa had previously indicated that he would remain in his post until the conclusion of the university’s ongoing $3 billion fundraising campaign, which is scheduled to wrap up at the end of next year.

Casteen moved up his retirement date, he said, in an attempt to ease the university’s succession to a new president and chief operating officer. Leonard W. Sandridge, UVa’s executive vice president and chief operating officer for the past 19 years, is set to step down in December 2011.

By leaving earlier than originally anticipated, Casteen said, there will be more overlap time between himself and Sandridge with the new president and new chief operating officer.

Casteen will stay on as a consultant for a year after his retirement to help with the fundraising campaign’s final stretch and to assist with the switch to a new administration. He also will be given the title of president emeritus.

Casteen said he hates to leave work left undone and regrets that the fundraising campaign still will be under way when he leaves.

In fact, he added, there is a chance the fundraising effort will fall short of its goals because of the economy.

“In the midst of this recession, I don’t know if I can promise you [that it will be finished by the end of 2011],” he said. “That’s my one regret.”

A search for Casteen’s successor will begin late next month. Details of the search process have not yet been announced. Several UVa officials declined to confirm if they had anyone in mind, such as Ed Ayers, who left his post as UVa’s dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences in 2007 to assume the presidency of the University of Richmond.

As the university moves into a new era, Fralin said he expects several top leaders — such as Dr. Arthur “Tim” Garson, vice president and provost of UVa — and a new generation of deans of UVa’s various schools will “take up [Casteen’s] mantle.”

Casteen is known nationally as an expert on higher education issues. He is also known as one of the highest paid presidents of public universities. He receives $487,000 in base salary, less than half of which comes from state money and the rest from private funds.

Casteen first arrived at UVa as a student in 1961 and went on to earn three degrees in English. In 1975, he returned to UVa to become dean of admissions. He taught English at UVa and at the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to his appointment as UVa’s president, Casteen served as president of the University of Connecticut from 1985 to 1990.

Casteen was Virginia’s secretary of education under Gov. Charles S. Robb from 1982 to 1985. In a statement, Robb said Casteen’s leadership would have made UVa’s founder proud.

“John Casteen has been a most responsible steward of Mr. Jefferson’s university,” Robb said. “He has promoted educational excellence and access to higher education, not only in his native state, but all across the nation. When the history of higher education is written, John Casteen will be remembered along with the University’s founder for his many accomplishments.”

Following his retirement, Casteen hopes to work on several projects, including books on higher education topics. He also would like to return to UVa to teach writing, he said.

The length of Casteen’s tenure is unusual, as most college presidents stay in office for roughly five years, Sandridge pointed out. His time at UVa, he said, has transformed the university for the better.

“John Casteen has served almost 20 years as president. During that time, he has taken this institution to a level not seen before,” Sandridge said. “His vision and knowledge of higher education is simply unequaled. … He certainly has committed more than anyone could have expected to this institution.”