SAN FRANCISCO -- Former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is to return to Stanford as a political science professor, rejoining the university where she served as provost for six years before joining the Bush administration, the college confirmed Thursday.

Rice, who was national security advisor to President George W. Bush in 2001-2005 and then secretary of state during Bush's second term, will return to the campus's Hoover Institution in the next few months.

She started teaching political science at the university in 1981, but said this week that she might not return to teaching right away -- instead focusing at first on writing books, doing lectures and pursuing business activities.

At the Hoover Institution, she will join former Secretary of State George Shultz, who served under President Ronald Reagan.

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who served under President Bush as well as President Gerald Ford, recently completed a one-year stint at the Hoover Institution.

Rice's selection as Stanford commencement speaker in 2002 was criticized by some campus groups, and her imminent return has irked some.

The Stanford Progressive, a left-leaning campus publication, pointed to the Bush administration's use of torture and questioned: "Can Stanford in good conscience welcome her back without acknowledging or even investigating potential wrongdoing?"