Kendell retires as higher education chief

Following his last day of meetings, Utah's Commissioner of Higher Education passed the baton Monday to his interim successor.

Rich Kendell, 64, said he's given it his all and leaves the office, which he's held for more than four years, "with a good sense of accomplishment but also a sense of relief that I won't have to worry about the hour-to-hour, day-to-day and week-to-week issues that come up."

He's looking forward to working "at a more leisurely pace," he said, "watching from a distance," and is excited to move on to the next phase of his life.

In just a few weeks, Kendell's $1.3 billion budget request will go before lawmakers during the 2008 Legislative session. The yearlong process of developing and prioritizing needs in higher education has been another thing he will, and won't, miss.

"We've had four really good years with the Legislature," Kendell said. "We've made a lot of progress in the connection between higher education, the governor's office and legislators."

Another accomplishment he feels has come to fruition in the years he's been at the helm is "a renewed focus on the continuum of education in general," he said. During his time as commissioner, both the K-16 Alliance and the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative were founded, further tying public education and higher education together in what officials hope will be one seamless strand.

And keeping on message with his office's mantra, Kendell added that with help from the 10 public colleges and universities located throughout the state of Utah, "we've been able to capitalize on the idea of student success." He feels that statewide, higher education leadership, faculty, students and their families, as well as the general public, have been "thinking of higher education as a real asset."

Kendell will continue to keep his eye on the ball, remaining active in education. He plans to not only watch his budget get picked through during the upcoming session, but Kendell plans to go back to school, as a Board of Regents Professor. He will participate in upcoming courses, lectures and classwork at the University of Utah, Southern Utah University and Weber State University. He's also been invited to participate in various speaking endeavors and research ventures.

"I look forward to being able to talk to students who are looking at the front end of their education and careers," he said. "And that it will be on my schedule."

After 40 years of teaching and working in educational leadership responsibilities, Kendell is looking forward to having time to kick back and relax.