President Likins told Tucson Newspaper editorial boards yesterday that he will be retiring in three years.

The 67-year-old Likins accepted an invitation from the Arizona Board of Regents last spring to sign a contract for three more years as president of the University of Arizona.

In a letter he sent to the campus community on Wednesday morning Likins wrote, "I reminded the Regents that I will be 70 years old on 4 July 2006, but with continued good health and their encouragement I was prepared to stay on the job until that time."

He said he planned to have the Focused Excellence plan fully functional by the time he leaves.

Likins also spoke to senior members of his Cabinet, securing commitments with Executive Vice President George Davis and Senior Vice Presidents Joel Valdez and Saundra Taylor. Davis is expected to stay longer to follow through on Focused Excellence.

Patti Ota, who would take charge of the recently announced enrollment and recruiting side of the Focused Excellence plan, could not be reached for comment on whether she, too, would be leaving.

Likins said in the email that he felt that the age of 70 is a "rather advanced retirement age for a university president in these times."