UC Riverside Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox announced Thursday, Sept. 19, that he will retire in summer 2025 after nearly 12 years leading the university.
He announced his plans in a letter to the campus community. When he retires, Wilcox's 12-year term as chancellor will have been surpassed only by Ivan Hinderaker, who led UCR from 1964 to 1979.
Wilcox was confirmed as chancellor in August 2013 and replaced interim Chancellor Jane Close Conoley. He was previously the provost of Michigan State University from 2005 to 2013.
"Under Chancellor Wilcox's leadership, UC Riverside has reached the top ranks of research universities while also serving as a national leader for inclusive excellence and social mobility," UC President Michael Drake said in a news release. "Whether through its admission to the American Association of Universities, or the addition of a leading medical school to improve the health of Californians, the entire region has benefitted from the progress UCR has achieved during Chancellor Wilcox's tenure."
While Wilcox was in Riverside, the university added more than 5,000 students and nearly 200 tenure-track faculty member, the release states.
Graduation rates rose by 18%, UCR received more than $200 million in research and funding and added more than 2.4 million square feet of building space to the School of Medicine and School of Public Policy.
"His visionary leadership significantly enhanced UCR's stature as a top public university and had a profound impact on the community," Jose Medina, a former state Assemblymember, wrote in an email Thursday. "Notably, Chancellor Wilcox played a pivotal role in expanding the School of Medicine, establishing the School of Public Policy and championing opportunities for first-generation and Latino students."
Medina wrote that he was honored to work with Wilcox in securing dollars for the school and that Wilcox's legacy would leave a lasting impact.
Earlier this year, Wilcox led negotiations to end the Pro-Palestine encampments erected at UCR in spring. The university was the first in the UC system to reach such an agreement with protesters.
The UC Office of the President will start a national search for a replacement, the release states.