Horn Resigns Abruptly as Head of CSU Long Beach

Stephen Horn, the embattled president of California State University, Long Beach, submitted his resignation Tuesday after university system trustees met for about two hours behind closed doors to discuss his performance.

Horn, who headed the 33,500-student campus since 1970, announced that he will leave the post next July 1. He said he will become a political science professor at the university.

Horn, 56, declined to say whether he was asked to resign from the $99,506-a-year position as head of the second-largest of the system’s 19 campuses. He hinted, however, that he and other campus presidents may be subjected to a “popularity contest” to keep their jobs.

He said he told the California State University Board of Trustees in a brief appearance, “A president cannot be engaged in a popularity contest if you’re going to build quality.” He would not elaborate.

Board Chair Dale B. Ride, refused to discuss details concerning Horn’s resignation, but said, “I’m not sure presidents are put through any ‘contest.’ ”

Horn had criticized Cal State Chancellor W. Ann Reynolds’ treatment of another campus president as “unconscionable and unprofessional.”Reynolds, in an evaluation of her performance this year, was criticized by some trustees for her brusque style and for being out of touch with day-to-day administration.

But Ride said that Horn’s criticism of Reynolds was not a factor in the board’s discussions. Reynolds refused direct comment, but said in a statement that during Horn’s tenure, “there have been great improvements not only in curricula but in the teaching and support facilities on the campus.”

Confidential Evaluation

A university official said that Horn’s successor will be named after a six-month selection process.

The resignation followed a confidential evaluation of Horn earlier this year by the trustees in light of financial difficulties at the university and conflicts with athletic boosters. The evaluation was made three years ahead of the normal five-year review.

Horn, a former member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and one-time aide to former U.S. Sen. Thomas Kuchel, declined to discuss specifics of the evaluation. However, he told reporters that the review, in keeping with customary procedure, did not list names of those questioned by the committee. The five-member evaluation team, headed by a former president of the University of Oklahoma, visited the Long Beach campus for a week in August.

The visit came after the campus had incurred an annual budget deficit of more than $1 million. The chancellor’s office was forced to grant a bail-out loan of about $900,000 to help cover the shortfall. Horn also drew criticism from athletic boosters when he threatened to drop the university’s intercollegiate football program because of a separate $719,000 deficit in the campus athletic fund.

Horn, who holds a doctorate in political science from Stanford University, said both problems have been rectified. The football team was retained and boosters are within $162,600 of their fund-raising goal, he said. University system spokesman Jeff Stetson said the campus paid back the money borrowed from the chancellor’s office.

Horn said the timing of his resignation was “appropriate” and that “I have continued long beyond the normal tenure.” He said he was looking forward to the “trustee’s professorship” position, which basically allows him to study for a year to catch up on his discipline of political science.

“I’m delighted (to be able to) read books after 17 1/2 years,” he said.