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President
Maxson looks ahead after announcing retirement
from CSULB
By
Jeanette Prather
Online Forty-Niner
City Editor
Days
after President Robert C. Maxson announced
his retirement to stunned faculty and students,
California State University officials are
wondering who they will find to replace
the popular outgoing president.
Maxson,
who announced last week that he is retiring
after almost 11 years at Cal State Long
Beach, promised that he will not leave until
a new president is appointed. The appointment
process may take anywhere from six to 10
months, according to Charles Reed, chancellor
for the California State University system.
"Although
it will be impossible to fill [Maxson's]
shoes, we're conducting a search for the
best person," Reed said.
According
to Murray Galinson, CSU Board of Trustees
chairman, the process for selecting a new
CSULB president will be discussed in March
at the next Trustees' meeting. Then, a hiring
committee will review hundreds of applicants
from all over the nation to be boiled down
to around eight or nine names. The hiring
committee will be made up of faculty and
trustee members, the president of another
CSU, a CSULB alum, a student and a member
of the Long Beach community. The committee
will interview the two or three best applicants
and take them on a tour of the campus to
meet faculty and students.
"The
process will be a tough one," said
Galinson, "we're concerned we won't
find another Maxson, but hopefully [we can
find] someone with similar qualities."
President
Maxson's passion for listening to students'
concerns has given him a popular reputation
on campus. He has been known to always put
students first, and he has been a regular
attendee at sporting events and other school
functions. Maxson thinks of CSULB students
as his own children. "I always want
to see my children perform," he said.
"There's
really no secret, I'm just single-minded
with my focus on the students," Maxson
said in an interview Friday.
It's
a trait CSU administrators such as Galinson
recognize. "I recall the first time
I was ever on the CSULB campus, Maxson and
I walked around and he knew everyone,"
Galinson said.
He
didn't fail to ask them [about] how school
was going or personal information that he
remembered about each and every student."
Maxson
warns that if the next CSULB president is
not so student-oriented they will not be
as successful. "I just want to see
someone who is as emphasized on the students
as I am come into office," he said.
"If the students come first the new
president won't go wrong."
Although
President Maxson thinks he should not be
involved with the official hiring of the
new CSULB president, he intends to still
be a part of the CSULB community.
"I'm
still going to attend games and performances,"
said Maxson, "because I will still
be working in the area."
Maxson
has yet to divulge what exactly he will
be doing after he steps down. He says only
that he will be involved in a business-like
venture.
Speculation
about what the future holds for Maxson has
entailed everything from world travel to
running for Mayor of Long Beach. Although
he says none of this is true, he does affirm
to having an important project up his sleeve.
"There is a very good chance that I
will go into educational consulting, but
I can't say much about it yet," Maxson
said. "All I can say is that it definitely
will involve the students one way or another."
Maxson
also said his reason for retiring is not
because he doesn't want to be president
anymore, but because an opportunity has
come that must be taken now or it may never
reach him again.
"I
had to retire at some point anyway and now
this great offer has come along," Maxson
said. "It will be of great interest
to the student body so I'll make sure you
guys are the first to hear about it."
He
claims that he will have more detailed information
in a couple of weeks.
"No
one knows what he's got planned yet,"
said Reed. "We're just glad he's staying
until he's replaced."
CSULB
faculty members and CSU administrators are
baffled by what Maxson's next move will
be, but they are also still dealing with
the shock they felt when they first heard
about his retirement.
"I
was surprised like everyone else on campus,"
said Dorothy Abrahamse, dean of the College
of Liberal Arts. "But he said he'd
stay until [a new president is named] so
there won't be many changes; which is wonderful."
The
news has spread quickly. School officials
throughout California are talking about
the new presidency opening at Cal State
Long Beach.
"[Maxson]
was absolutely the best there ever was,"
said Don Kassing, president of San Jose
State University. "He will be missed."
During
his tenure as president, Maxson has raised
some $300 million for the university, worked
to keep the Puvunga Indian grounds from
being developed and created the President's
Scholars Program.
The
program, started by Maxson in 1995, provides
California residents who are qualifying
valedictorians from accredited high schools,
or National Merit Finalists and Semifinalists,
an opportunity to compete for a scholarship
package to CSULB.
To
date, more than 700 students have received
scholarships to the university through the
program.
Associated
Students, Inc. President Mike Johnson sees
Maxson, with his "charismatic yet humble
character," as the father of CSULB
as we know it today. "President Maxson
is the reason why I came to Long Beach State.
He has transformed this university into
the premiere institution it is today,"
Johnson said. "Not only is he beloved
by the hundreds of thousands of students
whose lives he has touched, but by my peers
throughout the CSU system."
Maxson
has many memories of great times at CSULB.
The most thrilling moment, he says, was
when the women's volleyball team won the
1998 NCAA tournament against Penn State.
"It
was so wonderful to see the girls all so
happy and jumping around … it really
made me proud," he said.
Maxson's
devotion to his students makes it difficult
for him to leave Long Beach. "My least
favorite moments are always when I have
to leave campus for Sacramento or Washington,"
Maxson said. I'm always so sad to leave
and do government stuff; I would much rather
be here with the students."
Maxson
has certainly left some large shoes to fill,
but administrators are hoping to find a
strong replacement.
"We
would all like to think that somebody out
there can fill our shoes, we just have to
find them," said Reed.
Staff
Writer David Whisler contributed to this
report.
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