Occidental’s President Will Retire in 1988

Occidental College President Richard C. Gilman, who has headed the small liberal arts college in Eagle Rock since 1965, announced Wednesday that he intends to retire next year.

A committee of college trustees, students, faculty and alumni will immediately begin a search for a successor, spokeswoman Frances Hill said. Gilman, 64, will retire on Aug. 1, 1988.

A Massachusetts native with a doctorate in philosophy from Boston University, Gilman has overseen the growth of the college’s reputation nationally as a highly selective institution that emphasizes undergraduate teaching.

During his tenure, the college’s endowment also has grown--from $11 million in 1965 to $130 million this year--placing Occidental in the top ranks of liberal arts colleges in the country.

In addition, Gilman was responsible for extensive remodeling and expansion of the campus, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.

In an interview Wednesday, Gilman said one of the major accomplishments of the last two decades was the college’s successful effort to become nationally known. Occidental now attracts the majority of its students from outside California, whereas 10 years ago only about a quarter of its students were from out of state.

Applications have increased 45% over the last two years, Gilman said. More students are accepting admission to the college, and they are better qualified than applicants in the past have been, he said.

Under Gilman’s supervision, the faculty has increased by one-third, from 90 full-time professors in 1965 to 120 today.

Enrollment has grown at a deliberately slower pace, however. Ten years ago, Gilman urged the trustees to trim enrollment from 1,800 students to the present 1,600 and to eliminate the doctoral program in order to focus on the teaching of undergraduates. Occidental has a student-faculty ratio of 12 to 1, one of the lowest ratios among colleges and universities nationally.