Campus: Office of the Chancellor -- March 06, 2001 William Eisenhardt Named President Of Maritime Academy The California State University appointed William Eisenhardt, provost of the Maine Maritime Academy, as president of the California Maritime Academy. Eisenhardt has served in his current position since 1995, and previously was the academy's vice president and dean for academic and student affairs. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Duke University and completed the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. CSU Trustee Ralph Pesqueira chaired the search committee, and said, "Eisenhardt is a respected, experienced leader in Maritime education and will be a great president for the Maritime Academy." The search process began in October 2000, and about 40 individuals submitted applications. Eisenhardt will succeed Jerry Aspland, who served as president for five years. Eisenhardt will begin his new duties in July, and his compensation will be set at the March 21 CSU Trustees meeting. "Taking the helm of the California Maritime Academy is exciting because it and the Maine Maritime Academy have cooperated over the years on programs ranging from course offerings to student services and have shared best practices," said Eisenhardt. "While I have some good knowledge of the California Maritime Academy, I look forward to learning so much more and helping guide the Academy further along its course." The California Maritime Academy, which became part of the CSU system in 1995, is a four-year institution specializing in business, engineering, technology and marine transportation. Located in Vallejo, it is the only maritime academy in the Western United States and one of only five in the nation. It was the first maritime academy to admit women, first to produce a woman captain of a commercial vessel, and first to have had a woman president. With an enrollment about 650, it provides hands-on training and offers degrees in business administration, facilities engineering technology, marine engineering technology, marine transportation and mechanical engineering. The California State University is the largest four-year university system in the country. More than 21,000 faculty teach 370,000 students on 23 CSU campuses and six off-campus centers extending from Humboldt County in the north to San Diego in the south. Altogether, about half the bachelor's degrees and a third of the master's degrees awarded in California are from the CSU.