Head of Biola University to Retire in 2007

One of the state’s longest-serving college presidents will retire after 25 years at Biola University, college officials announced Thursday.

Clyde Cook, who celebrated his 71st birthday Thursday, plans to retire next June, one year shy of the college’s 100th anniversary.

“I wanted to go out a year before everybody expected me to,” said Cook, who also attended and taught at the Protestant university in La Mirada. “The big anniversary celebration should look forward, under a new president’s leadership, rather than look back at me.”

Cook’s presidency has been marked by tremendous growth for the private college. The university doubled its schools from three to six during his tenure and now has about 5,600 students.

The college received wide media coverage in 1988 when, after 80 years of forbidding students to dance, it announced that they would be allowed to dance off-campus.

It also gained attention in 1997, when tension erupted between evangelical and Eastern Orthodox Christians on campus. Some evangelicals charged that Orthodox churches do not hew to authentic biblical teaching. After a nine-month investigation, the college spared the jobs of four Eastern Orthodox staff members.

“It was a difficult time, but the benefit of having been here so long is that I’ve faced a lot of different crises,” Cook said. “When a big wave comes, you don’t flip over. You ride it out.”

Cook’s announcement comes a month before Glendale College’s president of 21 years is scheduled to retire. John Davitt holds the longest tenure of any community college president in California.

Audre Levy, president of Los Angeles Southwest College, will replace Davitt on July 1.

Cook will assume the title of president emeritus at Biola University.

“I don’t know exactly what that means,” he said. “But I think it’s kind of like a goodwill ambassador who stays out of the hair of the new president.”

The college has yet to begin its search for a new president.