Atkinson Named to Board of Carnegie
Foundation for Advancement of Teaching

By Barry Jagoda I December 12, 2005

Richard C. Atkinson

Richard C. Atkinson, president emeritus of the University of California and chancellor emeritus of UCSD, has been named to the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, an organization focused on improving learning in the nation's colleges and schools.

Atkinson served as 17th president of the University of California System from 1995 until 2003 and was Chancellor of UCSD for fifteen years beginning in 1980. Prior to that he was director of the National Science Foundation and a longtime member of the psychology faculty at Stanford University.

Among the many areas of Atkinson's deep concern about secondary and higher education, has long been his skepticism regarding approaches to testing for college admissions. Atkinson played a key role in the recent decision resulting in substantial revisions to the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, taken by millions of high school students each year and used as a barometer for admission by many universities.

Since retiring as UC President, Atkinson has resided in La Jolla and worked from his office on campus.