Rose State College President Terry Britton to step down in June

Now he is ready to turn over the reins to someone new.

Britton will retire in June 2013. Now seemed like the right time, he said — he's in good enough health to do the things he'd like to do in retirement, such as traveling and fly-fishing.

“It's time to sit back a little and reflect on what everything means,” he said.

Britton came to the college in 1972 as a literature instructor. Within months of beginning work, he was chosen to serve as the director of the Learning Resources Center, a position he held nearly 20 years.

In 1991, he was named vice president for information services, a position he held until he was promoted to vice president of academic affairs in 1996. He became executive vice president in 2000 and was named president in 2006.

Britton said he's leaving the college in strong shape academically. But the financial picture isn't as rosy, he said, largely due to a lagging economy.

In May, Britton called on faculty, staff and students to contact lawmakers to express support for greater funding for higher education, saying a proposed budget increase would allow colleges and universities to keep pace with inflation and address certain issues before those institutions began to degrade.

The college's role has grown over the past four decades, Britton said. When he arrived at the college, it was only two years old, and it focused almost exclusively on students who were seeking credit to transfer to a four-year school.