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The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs is the chief academic officer of the university. In addition to the academic colleges and departments, and has overall responsibility for the library, extended education, and University learning services. In addition to the responsibility for Academic Affairs, the Provost has overall responsibility for campus enrollment management and quality service initiatives and chair the campus strategic planning process. The Provost serves as the chair of the board of the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs (Governor of California 1958-66), which has been charged with developing imaginative and pragmatic approaches to public policy issues facing California today.
Desdemona Cardoza serves as Provost and tenured professor of Psychology. She earned a doctorate and a master's degree, both in social/personal psychology, from University of California, Riverside. She earned her bachelor's degree, with Phi Beta Kappa honors, from University of California, Berkeley. Early in her career she taught at University of California, Riverside; California State University, Fullerton; and California State University, Long Beach.
Dr. Cardoza served as the dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at Cal State L.A. for seven years. Prior to becoming dean in 2001, she served for eight years as the University's vice president for Information Resources Management. She also served as Associate Vice President for Academic Technology and as the campus's director of analytical studies. As provost, she is the University's chief academic officer, guiding policy formation for Cal State L.A.'s instructional program and overseeing its six colleges, which offer 59 undergraduate programs and 51 graduate programs. She also has overall responsibility for the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library and the Division of Extended Education.
Dr. Cardoza believes that the role of the provost "is to work collaboratively with all areas of the University to ensure that we engage in an inclusive academic planning process that enables us to articulate and achieve a shared vision."
"It is essential that we continue to create and support a cohesive educational environment that connects teaching, learning, research, scholarship and creative activity to maximize the educational experience of both undergraduate and graduate students and to ensure that our students have optimal chances to be academically successful. Our students need an education that adds value to the quality of their lives and gives them a competitive edge in seeking to fulfill their academic and career goals."
