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TC Alumna is Named President of California State - Fullerton
Mildred Garcia, who holds master's and doctoral degrees in Higher Education Administration from Teachers College, will lead the Fullerton branch of the largest university system in the country.
TC alumna Mildred Garcia, an expert in equity, diversity and education policy, has been appointed president of California State University, Fullerton, effective June 1. She has been president of CSU-Dominguez Hills since 2007, when she became the first Latina president in the California State University system.
“I am extremely honored to be selected as president of another outstanding institution within the California State University, and look forward to working together with the entire CSU Fullerton campus community as we build on its strong foundation,” said García, who holds a Master’s degree and a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Administration from Teachers College (1985, 1987), a Master’s degree in Business Education and Higher Education from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education from Bernard M. Baruch College in New York City.
García will succeed retired President Milton A. Gordon at Cal State Fullerton, one of the largest of the university system’s 23 campuses. CSUF is ninth in the nation for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to minority students and first in California for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics.
“Dr. García brings unbounded energy, excellent leadership skills and an impressive record of achievement to her new role as president of Cal State Fullerton,” said CSU Trustee Lou Monville, chair of the presidential search committee. “Her student-focused approach, commitment to scholarship and strong administrative experience will be tremendous assets to the campus.”
García came to Dominguez Hills after serving from 2001 to 2007 as president of Berkeley College in New York and New Jersey, where she oversaw six campuses offering two- and four-year degree programs. Last July, President Obama appointed her to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence of Hispanic Americans, which will advise the president and the education secretary on matters pertaining to the educational attainment of Hispanic students. In 2010, she was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to the U.S. Committee on Measures of Student Success, which is charged with developing recommendations to improve student success at two-year degree-granting institutions.
From 1997 to 2001, García held several positions with Arizona State University, including vice provost for academic personnel and associate vice provost for academic affairs, and was a tenured professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. While at ASU, García was the faculty liaison with the Hispanic Research Center on campus. She was affiliated with Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey from 1986 to 1996 and Hostos Community College of the City University of New York from 1979 to 1986.
García was appointed to the Board of Visitors for Air University by the Secretary of Defense. She serves on the boards of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of Higher Education Abstracts; the Editorial Advisory Board of Peer Review, the Advisory Board for Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education; and the National Advisory Panel of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. She is a founding board member of the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships.
García’s research in higher education has concentrated on the impacts that equity, diversity and outreach have on policy and practice. She has served on editorial boards for a variety of scholarly publications and been an active participant and consultant in the policy work of the National Science Foundation, the American Educational Research Association, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and other national, regional and state higher education organizations.
The California State University is the largest system of senior higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, approximately 412,000 students and 43,000 faculty and staff. One of the most ethnically and culturally diverse universities in the western United States, CSU awards about 90,000 degrees annually and since its creation in 1961 has conferred nearly 2.6 million degrees.
“García has a commitment to multicultural alliances and a belief that these coalitions strengthen institutions and communities as well as students' self-development and opportunities,” the Cal State-Fullerton said in a statement.
Published Friday, Feb. 3, 2012
