Former University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III died Tuesday at age 81.
A statement from the university said Casteen died after a brief bout with pancreatic cancer.
Casteen earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from UVA and returned to Charlottesville to lead the university as president in 1990. He retired in 2010. Casteen was UVA's seventh president and only the school's first president, Edwin Alderman, served longer.
Casteen grew the university's endowment from $488 million to $5.1 billion, a move that insulated UVA from state budget cuts in the 1990's. The university statement also credits Casteen's administration for admitting more women, international students and minority students while adding 20 new degree programs.
“As president, he transformed UVA into a world-class university," current UVA President Jim Ryan said in the statement. "As a teacher, mentor, colleague and friend, he was beloved."
According to an obituary, a small memorial service for family and friends will be held soon. A public memorial will be held at the university later this spring.
