Embattled President of San Diego State to Step Down in ’96

Thomas B. Day, whose 17 years as president of San Diego State University have been marked by recent clashes with students and faculty, will step down within the next 18 months, university officials announced Wednesday.

California State University Chancellor Barry Munitz said he asked Day to step aside by July, 1996, but not because of faculty complaints. Instead, Munitz said he was worried about Day’s health and wanted to give trustees plenty of time to find a new leader for San Diego State, the largest institution in the 21-campus system.

“If I really was concerned about his leadership, I wouldn’t have asked him to stay another year and a half,” said Munitz, who acknowledged that Day has been criticized for his leadership style, which some have called heavy-handed.

Day, 62, who takes medication to control an irregular heartbeat, had wanted to stay at least until the university’s centennial in March, 1997.

But Munitz said, “I think that the way he does this job in this day and age is too tough on him. . . . We need to find someone down the road who’s more concerned about building consensus, getting advice.”

Day issued a statement thanking the Cal State board of trustees for its support. “It has been a privilege to be the sixth president of San Diego State University,” he said.

Day angered much of the faculty and student body in 1992 when he proposed elimination of nine academic departments and the layoff of more than 140 tenured and tenure-track professors. His proposal triggered a series of student demonstrations and prompted a majority of the faculty to demand his ouster. The plan was withdrawn after Cal State’s budgetary situation improved, but the rancor remained.

In 1993, the San Diego State student council voted to ask Day to stay away from commencement exercises. Last year, a referendum of 469 faculty members called on Day to resign “for the good of the university.”

On Wednesday, Munitz praised Day as a “splendid leader” and said the two were in agreement about most things, except the timing of Day’s departure. Munitz cautioned faculty members who are tempted to claim victory that he wants the university to continue on the course that Day has set.

“There’s a group of faculty down there who want him out under any circumstances. It’s important for them to understand: What he stands for is what I want that campus to stand for,” Munitz said. “The mission is sound.”