Charles H. Moore, Cornell University's director of athletics and physical education for the past four years, will retire when a search for his successor is completed, university officials announced today.

Moore, a former gold medal Olympian, international businessman and a Cornell alumnus (Class of 1951), said he's accomplished much of what he set out to do at Cornell: "I couldn't be more positive about the progress we've made and the direction in which we're headed. This has been absolutely the greatest experience of my life. I wouldn't have given it up for anything. And while I've worked hard, I've gotten out far more than I've put in."

Cornell President Hunter Rawlings lauded Moore's contributions. "Charlie Moore has done a superb job as athletic director," Rawlings said. "He has appointed outstanding coaches, built state-of-the-art new facilities, led major initiatives in our women's programs and developed considerable alumni support. We have an excellent and balanced set of programs as a result of his dedicated efforts, for which all Cornellians are grateful. Athletics are a significant part of the Cornell experience -- therefore, I am committed to bringing on board a successor who will build on the improvements Charlie has begun and lead Cornell athletics to the very highest levels of excellence."

Susan H. Murphy, vice president for student and academic services, said a national search is being launched to find a new athletic director. Murphy will chair the committee that will include faculty, staff, students and alumni and hopes that a new athletic director can be identified by the summer, or at the latest, the fall.

"Charlie Moore has shared his passion for Cornell and commitment to athletics with literally thousands of Cornellians," Murphy said. "His commitment to excellence in all that he undertakes has had a real impact on the department and all who are associated with it. He has made a real difference in his time with us."

Moore pointed out that when he was brought on board in November 1994 he vowed he would stay only five years. He said he was asked to return to Cornell "as an agent of change," and he pointed with a sense of satisfaction to the many changes and improvements he has overseen.

One of Moore's more significant achievements is the articulation of a vision for Cornell athletics for the 21st century and beyond, in the form of a new strategic plan for the department. The primary goal of that plan, Moore said, is to ensure that Cornell "is ranked in the top three in the Ivy League in everything we offer." That vision includes but goes well beyond the university's athletic win-loss records, he explained. It also encompasses student evaluations of the physical education program, student participation in and evaluation of fitness programs and facilities, student participation on intramural sports teams, and academic performance of student-athletes.

Moore has made significant changes in the coaching staff for both men's and women's sports: 21 of Cornell's 30 head coaches were hired in the past four years, five of those through promotion from within the ranks.

He also has overseen an array of new and improved facilities, including: the Friedman Strength and Conditioning Center, the Kane Sports Complex for track and soccer, new outdoor tennis courts by the Reis Tennis Center, an upgraded Oxley Equestrian Center, Niemand--Robison Softball Field, and Stifle Fencing Salle, among others. New international-standard squash courts and a new irrigation system and golf center for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course are in progress.

Moore said he is confident that these initiatives and others have positioned Cornell athletics well for the coming years. "Now it will be up to a new director to come in and lead Cornell into the top three, where we belong," he said.

Cornell's next athletics director will oversee a department of 150 full-time employees and 36 intercollegiate sports, with a budget of $16 million. Cornell has one of the nation's largest and most diverse athletic programs, with 18 men's and 18 women's intercollegiate varsity sports involving more than 1,100 participants.

A charter member of the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame (1978) and Cornell Sun Athlete of the Decade, Moore received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1952. In that year he won gold (400-meter hurdles) and silver medals (1,600-meter relay) in the Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. He never lost a race in the 400-meter and 440-yard hurdles. He was selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee as one of the United States' "Golden 100" athletes in 1996 and currently serves as chairman of the audit committee of the U.S. Olympic Committee.