Albert K. Karnig
President, California State University, San Bernardino
Dr. Albert Karnig is Cal State San Bernardino’s third president. He has extensive university experience as a public affairs and political science professor, as Provost at the University of Wyoming, and as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Arizona State University. While at ASU, he also directed the School of Public Affairs, which ranked among the nation's ten leading public policy and administration programs.
Since assuming the university presidency in 1997, he counts among the major accomplishments:
- Records in enrollment, diversity of faculty and students, grant and contract funding, overhead funds, fundraising, patent applications, and international program development;
- The adoption of a focused university Strategic Plan;
- Significant reformulation of budget, personnel review and related processes;
- The allocation of additional resources to advance academic excellence;
- Raising over $40 million toward a four-building, privately funded branch campus in Palm Desert without the use of state funds,
- Creation of the President's Academic Excellence Scholarships, with over 100 scholars who were in the top one percent of their high school graduation classes;
- A five-fold increase in federal grant funds since 1997;
- Expansion of over 1 million square feet in campus facilities, including four new academic buildings in San Bernardino, doubling the size of the Student Union, adding 1,130 new residence beds, and a 37,000-square-foot fitness and recreation center;
- Higher student retention, and the provision of a fuller array of student services across the day and week, and multiple community-based efforts to promote college attendance;
- Creation of 10 research and service centers and initiatives;
- A renewed emphasis on community partnerships that promote economic, social, and cultural development across the four million inhabitants of the broad two-county area served by the university.
Since he arrived on campus in 1997, President Karnig’s contributions have been recognized by the NCAAP’s Pioneer Award, the Diocese of San Bernardino’s Vision of Hope Award, the El Sol Azteca Award from La Prensa, the Keeper of the Light Award from the CSUSB Black Faculty and Staff, Congressman Joe Baca’s Community Leadership Award for outstanding service and dedication to the community, selection by the Business Press as the Public Sector Leader of Distinction for the entire Inland Empire, the Community Leadership Award from the Baldy View Chapter of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, the “Citizen of Achievement” award by the San Bernardino Chapter of the League of Women Voters, a community service award from the Central City Lutheran Mission of San Bernardino, being named, with his wife, Marilyn, as 2006 Humanitiarians of the Year by the San Bernardino YMCA, the "Educator of the Year Award" from Minority Access Association, the "College Opportunity Champion" from the Campaign for College Opportunity; and the "Honorary Black Rose Award" from the San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation.
President Karnig's academic work includes two books; 60 refereed articles and monographs; grants from various national and state agencies; and consulting with the Brookings Institution, U.S. Department of Labor, International City Managers’ Association, and other organizations.
He received a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Augustana College, where he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, an N.D.E.A. Fellow and a Kendric C. Babcock Fellow at the University of Illinois, where he was awarded a master’s and a Ph.D. degree in political science.
Born and raised in New York, he is married to Marilyn, and has three sons. The Karnigs live in San Bernardino.
Community, State, and National Service
Co-Chair, University of California-California State University Joint Graduate Board
Chair of the Board, California State University Foundation, San Bernardino
External Advisory Board, Quality Education for Minorities/NASA Ames Research Consortium
Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Community Hospital of San Bernardino
Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Riverside-San Bernardino Community Foundation
Board of Directors, Inland Action, Inc.
Board of Directors, California Council on Economic Education
Board of Directors, KVCR Educational Foundation, Inc.
Steering Committee, San Bernardino County Alliance for Education
P-16 Council, San Bernardino County Schools
Member, San Bernardino County Schools’ Horizons Partnership
Member, San Bernardino County International Trade Advisory Committee
Program Development Committee, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (1998-2002)
Member, International Initiatives Program, the American Council on Education (1998-2002)
Chair, California Collegiate Athletic Association (2003-04)
Board of Directors, Inland Empire Economic Partnership (2000-05)