Dr. Charles E. Young had the longest tenure as a chancellor in the University of California system. He was Chancellor of UCLA for 29 years, from 1968 to 1997.

Dr. Charles E. Young was Chancellor of UCLA for 29 years. He began in September 1968 at the age of 36 - the youngest person ever to head a University of California campus. Young was born in San Bernardino and attended San Bernardino High School. He had a rough start during his initial studies at SBVC from 1948-49 but his academic achievement soared when he returned in 1952 from military service in the Korean War. He received an Associate's degree at SBVC in 1953 and transferred to the University of California, Riverside, where he was that school's first student body president. He graduated with honors in 1955 and enrolled at UCLA, majoring in political science. Young earned a Doctor of Philosophy in 1960. That same year, he accepted an appointment to UCLA as assistant to the chancellor and Professor of Politics. He was instrumental in lifting the Westwood campus to the company of elite research universities. During his tenure, the school put together a distinguished faculty that ranked with those at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and UC Berkeley. Chancellor Young was a member of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee and was active in improving understanding and relations between the United States and nations of the Pacific Rim. Young retired from UCLA in June 1997, the longest tenure as chancellor in the system's history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.