California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White may have donned a mustache, glasses and earring while touring a campus when he starred in a 2011 episode of NBC’s “Undercover Boss,” but he wore no such disguise when he took his first official tour of Cal State L.A. on Nov 20.
The final stop in his 23-campus tour, White acknowledged he “saved the best for last” at a campuswide coffee hour and forum in the Eagles Nest Gymnasium.
Appointed in 2012, White is the seventh chancellor to lead the CSU system, the largest four-year system of higher education in the United States. Previously, he served as chancellor of the University of California, Riverside, where he gained national attention for his appearance on “Undercover Boss.”
A first-generation college student, White is a product of the CSU, having earned his bachelor’s degree from Fresno State and a master’s degree from Cal State East Bay (formerly Hayward). White’s academic background is in physiology, kinesiology and human biodynamics and he is internationally recognized for his research in muscle plasticity, injury and aging.
White started the day with breakfast with administrators and faculty leadership in the University Club, followed by a meeting with President William A. Covino and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The chancellor listened to research presentations from students in the Minority Opportunities in Research programs in La Kretz Hall before heading over to the Engineering and Technology garage for a demonstration by the EcoCAR2 team and a walkthrough of the Hydrogen Research Facility.
Honors College students hosted the chancellor for an informal conversation before he was shuttled up the hill to tour the screening room and soundstage of the new Television, Film and Media Center. White took a break with faculty and students at the Veterans Resource Center and investigated a mock crime scene at the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. He ended the day at a reception and distinguished speaker lecture given by Compton Mayor Aja Brown at the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State L.A.