The Chancellor of the California State University system announced Saturday that he plans to retire after 14 years with the university system.

In a statement sent to CSU campuses and employees on his retirement, Chancellor Charles Reed said it has been an incredible honor to serve as chancellor of the California State University during such a dynamic period in its history.

“I take great pride in the CSU’s mission to serve California’s students, and I am proud to have played a role in carrying out that mission during these critical years,” he said.

California State University spokesman Erik Fallis said fortunately Reed has agreed to stay on until replacement has been found.

“We should have stable leadership throughout the remainder of the chancellor’s term and whoever succeeds him,” Fallis said.

CSU president Mark Yudof said California owes a deep debt of gratitude to Chancellor Reed for providing the CSU system with consistently dynamic and innovative leadership for close to 15 years.

“Chancellor Reed’s legacy of public service includes his tireless, multi-dimensional campaign to reach students who might otherwise not have put themselves on a path toward college, (and) in the process greatly expanding access to Californians of all backgrounds,” Yudof said in a statement.

Fallis said it makes sense for Reed to retire now for a number of reasons.

“He turned 70 recently and has been chancellor for 27 years at various universities and is at a point where retirement is a logical next step for him,” Fallis said.

Reed said our campuses have continued to flourish even in the face of budgetary challenges and tremendous growth.

“Throughout my time here, the CSU has grown by more than 100,000 students, and I have been honored to sign more than a million diplomas,” Reed said.

Reed is returning to Florida with his wife where he said he will spend more time with his family and pursue higher education projects.

Fallis said it is virtually certain that the board of trustees will conduct a nationwide search to replace Reed.

“We will look at those within the system as well as nationwide so that we have as broad and as strong a group of candidates as possible,” Fallis said.

Sean Keister can be reached at [email protected].