CSU Names First Chancellor Of Color

CALIFORNIA — Joseph I. Castro was named the new Chancellor of the California State University system, its trustees announced Wednesday. He is the first Mexican American, California Native and person of color to become chancellor of the largest university system in the nation.

Castro, 53, has been president of Fresno State University for the past seven years and will take over the chancellor's office on Jan. 4., replacing Timothy P. White, who announced his retirement last October.

“My great-grandparents and grandfather immigrated from Mexico about a hundred years ago to work on the railroad and to work the land of the San Joaquin Valley,” Castro told the CSU Board of Trustees during a virtual meeting. “And I’ve been so honored for the last seven years to serve here at Fresno State.

Castro had an upbringing that more accurately reflects the majority of students who attend the 23 campuses. More than 62 percent of the bachelor's degrees granted by the 23 campus university are to Hispanic students, according to the CSU.

"Like the majority of students that we serve at CSU, I was the first in my family to attend and graduate from a university, and that's a gift that I've been paying back ever since,'' he said. "I intend to continue paying that gift back over time as chancellor of the CSU."

Castro was born in California's San Joaquin Valley. He is the son of a single mother and a first generation college student, receiving his bachelor's in political science and a master's in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a Ph.D. in higher education policy and leadership from Stanford University. He and his wife, Mary, have three children.

Castro will earn $625,000 a year as chancellor, along with a monthly auto allowance and a nearly $8,000-a-month housing allowance, since the CSU does not have an official residence for the chancellor.

White, 71, has been chancellor since 2012 and was set to retire in July but delayed those plans in March when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the system and it's 480,000 plus students into a virtual learning environment.

Gov. Gavin Newsom congratulated Castro Wednesday afternoon in a statement.

"A son of the San Joaquin Valley and the first in his family to graduate from a university, Chancellor Castro is also the first-ever California native and Mexican American to helm this remarkable system," Newsom wrote. "I look forward to working closely with Chancellor Castro to help the next generation of diverse Californians achieve their dreams.”

CSU Board of Trustees Chair Lillian Kimbell introduced Castro during the board's virtual meeting Wednesday.

"...He's a leader who inspires greatness in his students, in his faculty and staff and in the broader community," she said. "He's bold yet measured and collaborative, courageous and a proven innovator, but uncompromising in his core values."

The City News Service contributed to this report.