Oregon University System Chancellor Joe Cox announced Tuesday he will step down as the leader of Oregon’s seven universities in spring 2002.
“Enough fun is enough,” Cox said. “There’s never a perfect time, but this is a good time.”
He added that since November he has believed the OUS staff is strong enough for him to depart, and the decision comes as little surprise to OUS university presidents. He said he made the announcement early so his successor has time to gear up for the 2003 legislative session.
Although he is not sure what specifically he will do after he leaves office, Cox, 64, said he wants to remain in higher education and in the Eugene area with his wife.
“It’s liberally funky enough to suit us,” he said. “Maybe now I’ll have time to check out the Country Fair.”
Cox said he would like to be a consultant somewhere in higher education and work on a book he has been slowly writing about the rise of philanthropy in the 19th century.
In Cox’s seven years at the helm, he has guided the state’s seven institutions of higher education through a number of budget battles at the state Capitol and overhauled the organization’s budget to reward schools that can attract and keep students.
His work has increased enrollment statewide.
He said the budget battles and finding the balance between quality schooling and a higher education budget that has been squeezed nationally were the most challenging and rewarding parts of his career in the OUS.
Bob Bruce, an assistant to the vice chancellor, said Cox achieved his success with an unmatched power to listen critically, especially in difficult deliberations.
“He worked for win-win situations with people,” Bruce said.
University Vice President Dan Williams said he thinks Cox will leave a legacy for his work with the state’s budget and creating performance-based governance at universities.
“He added incentive to the way we do our work,” Williams said.
He said Cox made his and other administrators’ jobs better by strengthening the ties between higher education and the business and legislative communities. During his term, Williams said, the two had an increased respect for what universities in Oregon do.
Bruce said no specific date has been set for hiring a replacement, but the process will be through a combination of a nationwide hiring process and nominations.
Cox said he will spend his last months in office helping ease the new chancellor’s transition until he or she is ready to take the reins alone.
Involved with higher education throughout the nation since 1969, Cox first served as the president of Southern Oregon University in Ashland before becoming chancellor. Although a return to teaching might be on the horizon, he wouldn’t say for sure and will keep his options open.
“I’m not interested in retiring,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll ever retire.”