ALBANY, NY - Glenn Goord, who rose from prisoner drug counselor to commissioner of the nation's fourth largest prison system, is retiring after 32 years, according to his announcement to staff yesterday.

Mr. Goord will be 55 years old today, a threshold for full state retirement with his years of service. He has been the commissioner for 10 years. "There is no more difficult job in public service than corrections," Mr. Goord wrote his staff of 32,000 workers. "In most cases, we are misunderstood ... we should stand on our records of success."

Mr. Goord is the first commissioner confirmed by the Senate to rise through the ranks. He was a drug abuse counselor between 1973 and 1981 followed by deputy superintendent for administration at the maximum security Easter New York Correctional Facility, then became assistant commissioner for correctional facilities in 1982.

Mr. Goord plans to retire at the end of August.