Raymond H. Goldstone, former dean of students at UCLA and a nationally recognized expert on student affairs and student conduct at colleges and universities, has died. 

Goldstone died this summer at age 80, according to Robert Naples, retired UCLA associate vice chancellor for student life and dean of students, who said he admired the deep impact Goldstone had on the campus and the larger world of higher education administration.

A lifelong Bruin, Goldstone began his undergraduate education at UCLA in 1961, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree in history, followed by a law degree in 1968.

As a student, he received several academic honors, including a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship in 1964, and was active in student governance, serving on the ASUCLA board of directors (at the time the board of control). 

After graduating from UCLA Law, Goldstone worked briefly as a public defender in Los Angeles before returning to campus for the duration of his professional career. He joined UCLA Student Affairs in 1970, working under then–Dean of Students Byron Atkinson. When Atkinson retired in 1980 Goldstone succeeded him and served as dean until his retirement from the position in 1994. 

Launching a national organization for student conduct professionals

During his tenure, Goldstone was deeply involved in the fields of student conduct and student affairs not only at UCLA but at a national level as a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. In the mid-1980s, he was instrumental in founding and providing initial financial support for the Association for Student Judicial Affairs (now known as the Association for Student Conduct Administration, or ASCA), the first national professional organization for higher education judicial officers. Today, the ASCA is the leading voice in promoting best practices in student conduct administration and conflict resolution at colleges and universities throughout the U.S.

“Many of us are familiar with the story of Raymond immediately pulling out his checkbook and providing the seed money to start what was then known as the Association for Student Judicial Affairs,” one ASCA colleague said.

Twenty years after the launch, the association established the Raymond H. Goldstone ASCA Foundation to encourage charitable giving that allows the association provide scholarships for professionals and graduate students to receive high-quality educational and leadership training from the ASCA.

Over the years, Goldstone remained a frequent attendee at the association’s annual conference and served as a mentor to to many student conduct professionals.

“Raymond was a transformative leader, educator and scholar within the field of student conduct and student affairs,” one ASCA colleague said. 

Even after his retirement, Goldstone was often asked to serve as a consultant and policy analyst on student and campus life at UCLA because of his wide-ranging expertise in student judicial administration and his knowledge of federal, state and UC system policies.

A love of sports and doo-wop music

Goldstone was an avid supporter of UCLA Athletics and a longtime season-ticket holder for several sports; he kept his tickets even after it became impractical for him to attend games himself and often gave them to family, friends and colleagues. He was also a regular attendee and participant at lectures sponsored by UCLA School of Law and other campus units.

A great lover of doo-wop — the vocal-based rhythm-and blues-musical style that began in Black American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s — Goldstone was a longtime member of a Pittsburgh-based fan group that held weekly meetings, first by telephone and then by computer. In his later years, he hosted a podcast focused on doo-wop.

Read the article on UCLA’s website