President Mark G. Yudof, University of California, on the announced retirement of CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed:

California owes a deep debt of gratitude to Chancellor Reed. For close to 15 years now, he has provided the vital California State University system with consistently dynamic and innovative leadership. He will be missed.

Chancellor Reed’s legacy of public service includes his tireless, multi-dimensional campaign to reach students who might otherwise not have put themselves on a path toward college, in the process greatly expanding access for Californians of all backgrounds.

He has been an effective champion for public higher education at the national level as well, leading efforts, for example, to enhance the federal Pell Grant program that provides critical financial aid for students from lower-income families.

In my four years in California, the chancellor has been an effective and reliable ally in the fight to keep alive for future generations of Californians the promise of an affordable, top quality education. We have worked as partners in Sacramento, attempting to persuade the state’s political leadership to reverse its chronic disinvestment in public higher education.

I will miss having him at my side in these ongoing struggles, as should all Californians who are concerned about the future of this great state. As a friend, I wish Charlie and his wife, Cathy, only the best in the next chapter of their life together.