08/04/92
CONTACT: Stanford University News Service (650) 723-2558
STANFORD -- Robert E. Freelen, vice president for public affairs at Stanford University since 1983, has announced that he will leave the post Feb. 28.
In making the announcement to his staff Friday, July 31, Freelen said that after 31 years at Stanford, he and his family wanted to "try something different." Freelen, 58, said he would take early retirement from Stanford and explore that different future.
"I can't think of a better way to have spent 31 years of my life," Freelen said. "It has been a pleasure to serve Stanford."
Freelen heads an office that includes Community Relations, Government Relations, University Relations, Events and Services, the News Service and Stanford Publication Services.
Freelen earned two degrees from Stanford - a bachelor's in political science in 1957 and a master's of business administration in 1959 - and has been a member of the university staff since 1961.
He moved up through the development office before going to the Stanford Alumni Association as program director in 1967. He was acting dean of students from 1970 to 1972, director of government relations from 1972 to 1978, and associate vice president for public affairs from 1978 to 1983.
Freelen's vice presidency dealt with events ranging from the Centennial Celebration and two visits by Mikhail Gorbachev to the indirect costs controversy. He served on high-profile university committees on such issues as whether Stanford should house the Reagan Library and the future of athletics on campus.
He is chairman of the board of trustees of National University in San Diego. Among his other professional activities, he has been chairman of the board of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and is on the executive committee of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities and the board of directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
His public service activities include membership on the board of directors of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce and the post of chairman- elect of the Senior Coordinating Council of the Palo Alto Area, Inc.
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