Associate Dean of the College Robert Ripley, the University's advisor to pre-medical students, will retire this spring, he announced in an e-mail to pre-med students on Thursday.
"I'm 64. It's time, just like the Beatles song," he told The Herald on Sunday, his birthday.
Ripley will use his vacation time in January and February and retire officially in March. The search for his replacement will be launched immediately, said Dean of the College Paul Armstrong, who said he was "pretty confident" that a new associate dean could be hired by March. In January and February, other associate deans will fill the gap, he said.
Since taking over pre-med advising duties from an overtaxed dean in 1974, Ripley has guided students through the process of fulfilling pre-medical requirements and applying to medical schools, while challenging them to really consider whether they are interested in and ready for medicine, students said.
"One thing he does is constantly makes you think whether you want to be a doctor or not. He doesn't just hand the perfect pre-med application to you right away," said Christopher Sha '06.
Brown sends an average of 180 students to medical school every year, Ripley said. He has around 1,200 appointments per year with medical school hopefuls.
Because Brown pre-medical students have to pick a concentration and fulfill its requirements in addition to the requirements for medical school, the pre-med advisor has to help students balance the demands of both. "My goal for everyone is to make sure they get an education," Ripley said.
Ripley said that his reputation for sometimes-harsh honesty was earned, but necessary. "The rumor was that I was really tough. I've always been a tough coach, but if I pushed too hard, I did it for you," he told The Herald.
"He really challenged students and was very honest with them," said Justin Chan '05. "I don't think I would have gotten as far if he wasn't as challenging."
Ripley's departure has been in the works for several years, he said. "I've been talking about it. If you ask any pre-med, the rumor has been floating around for three or four years."
"We've been talking about the possibility for a while now, but I got his actual letter announcing his retirement on Thursday," Armstrong said.
Students and Armstrong said Ripley's experience and connections at top medical schools will be missed. "He has a really excellent record of getting students accepted to top-notch medical schools. We think he's done an excellent job, and we'll miss him," Armstrong said.
Some students, including those still in the process of applying to medical schools this winter, may feel left on their own by Ripley's departure, Chan said. "I think that people who were planning to apply next year are a little more anxious, because we don't know when the school will find a replacement or whether his replacement will know as much and be as familiar with the med school community."
Ripley said he plans to travel, first to visit his son in India, and is considering a move into consulting. The first year, he said, he plans to just have fun.
Students said that for better or for worse, they will remember his tough love. "I was told that I should be nervous about meeting with him, but I liked him. He was very honest and open about what you needed to get into medical school," said Ashley Schomer '06.
