Cal State L.A. President James M. Rosser
Rosser is recognized for breadth of service,
dedication
Los Angeles, CA –
After 33 years
of distinguished service, California
State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) President
James M. Rosser
has announced today that he will retire as president on June 30, 2013,
the close of the University’s academic year.
Rosser, 73, is recognized for the remarkable breadth of his service, for
his early and
long-standing commitment to academic excellence, as a champion for the
arts and sciences, for
participating in landmark changes in state and national education
policy, and his
dedication to cultural diversity.
“Jim
has been the voice and advocate for all students for the past three
decades. In particular, his unwavering commitment to access and
achievement of students of color and focus on helping them to realize
their dream of a college degree is a hallmark of his tenure,” said CSU
Chancellor Charles B. Reed. “He has effectively partnered with K-12 and
community colleges, established Cal State Los Angeles’ nursing program
as one of the best nationally, and has elevated the state of
biotechnology and STEM education and research. Jim’s laser focus on
students first, diversity, retention and graduation rates will endure as
a remarkable legacy of his service to this University and to
California.”
Rosser became the sixth president of CSULA in 1979, making him the
current longest-serving four-year public university president in the
nation. His presidency is also the longest in both CSULA’s and in the
23-campus California State University’s history.
“I have had the good
fortune to serve this institution in collaboration with an outstanding
faculty, administration and staff, past and present,” said President
Rosser after announcing his retirement during CSULA’s annual Fall
Faculty Day. “Thank you for the value you have added to my life and for
the superlative service we have collectively provided to Cal State L.A.,
our students, this community, state and nation.”
Science and Technology Over
the decades, Rosser has successfully helped advance science and
engineering education, and has sought ways to galvanize the synergies
between science, research, technology and industry. Throughout his
presidency, he has helped make major contributions to improving
diversity and curriculum in science education as a chair and member of
numerous National Science Foundation (NSF) committees and conferences,
and has presented at a variety of NSF and National Academy of
Engineering panels and forums.
Rosser’s influence has helped guide state and national science policy.
He has served as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee of the
Congressional Caucus for Science and Technology, the California Council
on Science and Technology, and the American Council on Education’s
Committee on Science and Technology.
As a
member of the Texaco/Chevron Task Force on Equality and Fairness,
Rosser was a key figure in helping oversee
Texaco’s implementation of a comprehensive human resources program that
ensured fairness and equal opportunity for all employees. The taskforce
was formed following the settlement of a legal case the company reached
in 1996 with African American employees.
Rosser is also renowned for his efforts in health care. In 2003, his
alma mater, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, conferred him with
an Honorary Doctor
of Humane Letters,
citing his pioneering efforts to advance opportunities and contributions
of African Americans in science and health care. He also holds the rank
of professor of health care management and professor of microbiology at
CSULA.
His
contributions to the field of health care delivery have resulted in
published works on health, health values and the health profession, as
well as a number of related appointments, including as consultant to the
National Institutes of Health’s National Heart and Lung Institute, and a
member of the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners.
Creativity and the Arts
Rosser is renowned nationally as an innovator for arts and arts
education, and sought after for his record of support and leadership. He
has served as a board member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and is
known for his deep commitment to bringing the city together through the
arts, which have resulted in high profile residencies at CSULA,
including the Joffrey Ballet and the Anderson Quartet.
For
the Music Center Performing Arts
Council/Education Council’s Advancement Committee, through the
National Endowment of the Arts, Rosser
worked with leaders such as
Ernest Fleischmann
to identify and support emerging artists.
Rosser served as a KCET board member, helping the television station
deliver inspiring content that educates and enlightens millions of
individuals. Working with CSULA faculty, he
played a major role in the development of KCET’s A Place of Our Own,
an innovative educational program that
provides
support and information to those who care for
young children.
He
helped guide the national organization Americans for the Arts, serving
on several committees and as a member of its Board of Governors. He
chaired the organization’s Los Angeles Taskforce on Multiculturalism in
the Arts, and was a member of its National Policy Board from 1996-2004.
Childhood Education
Rosser is a dedicated and vocal supporter of improved childhood
academics.
“Our
obligation is to seek new ways to create positive change in the lives of
our children, if we are really the carrier of civilization’s progress,”
said Rosser. “While we must continue to scrutinize our roles within the
broader communities we serve in this regard, we must also remain
intensely focused on our capability and responsibility to help the young
within our institutions.”
In the 1980s, Rosser helped spearhead the establishment of the
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts at CSULA,
recognized as one of the premier public arts high schools in the U.S.,
and California’s first specialized high school for the arts.
In 2006, the Alliance
Marc
and Eva Stern Math and Science School was established on campus to serve
students from the East Los Angeles community. The school is now one of
the top 12 highest performing open enrollment high schools in the LAUSD.
Rosser was also a driving force behind the creation of the Accelerated
Charter School in South Los Angeles, a school that prepares underserved
students to excel in their studies and aspire toward college. The
original K-8 Accelerated School, founded in 1992, was Time Magazine’s
School of the Year in 2000.
Rosser has launched and helped develop a variety of educational
initiatives both at CSULA and for the CSU system, such as the
University’s Early Entrance Program, which offers the opportunity for
intellectually gifted and socially mature students, as young as 11, to
attend college and take regular college courses.
He
approached the CSU Chancellor’s Office with an idea that became the
Doctoral Incentive Program, which
provides student loans to a
limited number of individuals pursuing full-time doctoral degrees at
universities throughout the United States, who later receive portions of
their loans forgiven if they teach at a CSU campus.
Fostering Diversity, Excellence and Growth Rosser has worked
tirelessly to
help increase access to higher education for underserved communities,
and is regularly sought after for his decades of experience as an
advocate and major role player in helping develop diversity-driven
education policy in the region, at CSULA and across the nation.
At CSULA, he has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to
the multiculturalism of students, faculty and staff, which is a great
source of pride for the University.
“At
Cal State L.A., we have developed a culture that has helped to transform
the lives of countless low-income students from diverse backgrounds,”
said Rosser. “It is largely a function of the communities we serve. The
majority of our students have been women since 1970, and students of
color since 1972. Our fundamental goal is to level the learning
achievement playing field for all admitted students, and we have made
great strides in that effort.“
Rosser is gifted in drawing
out and nurturing the intelligence, leadership and creative qualities of
those around him both on campus and in the communities CSULA serves.
He
has advanced diversity with
excellence in
many
fields of study, particularly in
education, healthcare, and
within science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) fields,
producing significant numbers of underrepresented minority bachelor’s
and master’s degree recipients from CSULA.
Rosser was also the driving force behind CSULA’s Honors College, which
welcomed its inaugural class in fall 2011.
Recently, a
report
by
the National Science Foundation entitled, Women, Minorities and
Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, 2011, ranked
CSULA among the top 50 baccalaureate institutions out of more than 2,000
of origin that produce Hispanic science and engineering doctorate
recipients. In addition, CSULA has
consistently been recognized for high quality in such areas as
engineering, nursing education and business programs by U.S. News and
World Report.
Rosser
was most recently honored with the
2012 Reginald Wilson Diversity Leadership Award
from the American Council on Education (ACE). He is also
recognized nationally for
leadership on access and diversity in such publications as
Diverse: Issues in
Higher Education
and Hispanic
Outlook on Higher Education.
Rosser’s ability to improve
teamwork to support a cause and address critical issues made a
significant impact after the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles. He
collaborated with Los Angeles civic leaders to help the city heal and
build cultural awareness, such as by hosting an African American and
Korean American golf tournament to help bring those fractured
communities together.
Over the past three decades, under
Rosser’s direction, CSULA has welcomed the addition of more than
1,000,000 square feet of building space on the 173-acre campus,
transforming the it into a modern and esthetically beautiful University.
The projects include the state-of-the-art $81 million Wallis Annenberg
Integrated Sciences Complex, and the first wing of La Kretz Hall, which
opened in 2009 featuring contemporary science laboratories and equipment
and tools, which provided an environment to match the excellence of the
University’s academic programs.
In
2009, a new $31 million University-Student Union provided an expanded
computer lab, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a 200-seat theater and
increased meeting and lounge space. The $30 million Golden Eagle opened
in 2003, with a student bookstore, conference center and food court. In
the early 1990s, Rosser led efforts to build the $22 million Harriet and
Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex that includes the highly-acclaimed
Luckman Gallery, and the 1,152-seat Luckman Theatre. Additional campus
improvements include the Dobbs Street Student Housing Project,
Corporation Yard, the Public Safety/Police facility, and the
Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center.
Rosser has also distinguished himself on the boards of privately-held
companies, such as Fedco, a membership-based retail store that operated
in Southern California, Sanwa Bank of California, and served as a board
member for Southern California Edison from 1988 to 2012.
Philanthropy
Rosser is also recognized for his inspiring philanthropic efforts and
spirit, evidenced by his contributions in time and resources to CSULA,
the Los Angeles community and beyond. He served on the board of the
California Community Foundation, and was an advisor for the Fedco Donor
Advised Fund.
He has targeted his
personal philanthropy in establishing the James M. Rosser Student
Athlete Scholarship at the CSULA Honors College, and by helping to endow
a scholarship at his alma mater in honor of
Donald N. “Doc” Boydston, one of his early and enduring mentors.
For
his efforts, Rosser was presented the 2008 Spirit of Philanthropy
Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Greater
Los Angeles. He received the honor for demonstrating extraordinary
leadership and vision in support of charitable agencies.
Education
Dr.
Rosser earned his Ph.D. in health education and master’s degree in
microbiology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, where he
also served as a faculty member, assistant to the chancellor, and
founding director of the Black American Studies Program.
·
Ph.D., Health Education, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in
1969
·
M.A., Microbiology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 1963
·
B.A., Microbiology (with honors), Southern Illinois University,
Carbondale in 1962
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, also conferred Rosser with an
Honorary Doctor of
Humane Letters
in 2003, and Pepperdine University awarded Rosser an Honorary Degree of Doctor of
Laws in 2005. Prior to Southern Illinois University, Carbondale,
Rosser studied at Langston University in Oklahoma on a basketball
scholarship.
To learn more about
President Rosser’s legacy, visit
www.calstatela.edu.
# # #
Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 225,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six
Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to
the Honors College for high-achieving students.
Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu
announces his retirement
to educational
excellence and diversity
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