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Relf turns in resignation

Four productive and challenging years will come to an end this year for Dean William B. Relf of the School of Business and Global Studies. Dr. Relf taught at ULV for 10 years in the early '70s before returning to ULV as dean, and after four years of hard work, he will pass on his position. He has enjoyed all the "friends I have here and all the challenges." Uncertain if he will retire, he feels he has to simply "slow down." / photo by Juan Garcia
Four productive and challenging years will come to an end this year for Dean William B. Relf of the School of Business and Global Studies. Dr. Relf taught at ULV for 10 years in the early ’70s before returning to ULV as dean, and after four years of hard work, he will pass on his position. He has enjoyed all the “friends I have here and all the challenges.” Uncertain if he will retire, he feels he has to simply “slow down.” / photo by Juan Garcia

by Araceli Esparza
Managing Editor

After four years as the dean of the School of Business and Global Studies (SBGS), Dr. William Relf announced his resignation from the University of La Verne last month.

The news came as a surprise to many, said Dr. Relf, who told of his resignation in an April 1 memorandum to the ULV community. According to the memorandum, the conclusion of Dr. Relf’s term as dean will be in effect at the end of the semester.

“After a lot of soul searching, I have come to the decision that it is time for me to retire from being dean of the School of Business and Global Studies,” he said. “It’s time to take a break.”

Dr. Relf, who is currently also a part-time instructor at Cal Poly Pomona, and at the Claremont Graduate School, said part of his intentions for retiring are to take advantage of the opportunities life has to offer. He also said that he will continue to teach at the two local colleges under part-time status.

Dr. Relf compared his decision to Kenny Rogers’ song in the movie, “The Gambler,” saying that “a man needs to know when to hold them and when to fold them.” He said he is ready to pursue new adventures.

“I’m in a position where I can be independent and do what I want,” Dr. Relf said. “[I want to] restart the novel I partially wrote when living in Southeast Asia, learn to play the piano, get my handicap down to a nine and travel to some countries where I haven’t been before.

“But for a time, I want to smell the flowers.”

As for yielding his life at this moment, Dr. Relf said he “can’t do it any sooner than now.

“I’ve been planning for retirement in terms of financial preparation and building of networks,” he said, adding that he is satisfied with much of what he and other members of the SBGS have accomplished.

Among those feats are the expansion of global presence at both ULV and abroad, the growth of several SBGS programs and an increase in the School’s resources.

He also said he will miss the University friendships and challenges he has gained. “ULV is a great university, and in many ways, I’ll miss it very much,” Dr. Relf said.

“It was not an easy decision.”

Though Dr. Relf said that the final selection for a new dean has yet to be decided, his advice to the new dean is quite simple.

“Set your vision and stick with it,” he said, adding to his own goals from retirement.

“Arnold Toynbee said that being able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization,” said Dr. Relf. “I want to check that out.”

Araceli Esparza, Editorial Assistant
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