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- Former UC President Clark Kerr Dead at 92
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Former UC President Clark Kerr Dead at 92
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Clark Kerr, elder statesman of American higher education and former leader of the University of California
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Clark Kerr, an elder statesman of American higher education and a visionary leader of the University of California in the 1950s and '60s, died on Dec. 1, 2003, at his home in El Cerrito, Calif. The Pennsylvania native was 92.
A labor economist by training, Kerr rose from the UC Berkeley faculty to become the first chancellor of that campus (1952-58) and then the 12th president of the University (1958-67). He directed the transformation of UCSB, Riverside, and Davis from specialized campuses to general ones, and launched the expansion of the system with three new general campuses at Irvine, San Diego, and Santa Cruz.
He was chief architect of California's 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education, which promised the state's high school graduates a college education and established guiding principles and a division of labor among UC, California State University, and the community colleges.
"I attended a special conference at Berkeley just two years ago to honor Clark Kerr on his 90th birthday," said Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "It was clear at that event as it is clear to me today—he was a man of great intellect and integrity who was one of the most important educators this country has ever known."
In 1967, after clashing with newly installed Gov. Ronald Reagan over student protesters' rights, Kerr was fired by the UC Board of Regents in a vote of 14 to 8. His farewell quip—"I left the presidency just as I entered it—fired with enthusiasm"—showed grace under pressure, but he later admitted that when the Regents dismissed him "effective immediately" it had hurt.
However, the influential Carnegie Commission on Higher Education was quick to gain his services; he stayed at its helm until 1979. Though he never returned to educational administration, Kerr wrote extensively and is widely credited with promoting affordable college education.
Kerr is survived by his wife of nearly 69 years, Catherine; two sons; a daughter; a half brother in Pennsylvania; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. A memorial is planned at UC Berkeley for early this year.