Peter A. Wilson Appointed Dean at CSUH's Contra Costa Campus in Concord

Peter A. Wilson, who guided the Palm Desert branch campus of California State University, San Bernardino for 13 years, has been appointed dean of the Contra Costa Campus of Cal State Hayward. He officially begins his duties in Concord on Sept. 2.

Wilson led the Palm Desert campus since 1990, first as interim dean, accepting the permanent appointment a year later. During his tenure, the university branch moved into its first permanent building on land donated by the City of Palm Desert and constructed with funds raised through a capital campaign that raised $19.5 million. This branch campus has grown to an enrollment of 1,100 upper division and graduate students from throughout the Coachella Valley.

"Peter has had exactly the type of success leading the Palm Desert Campus of Cal State San Bernardino that we've been looking for with our Contra Costa Campus," said Norma Rees, Cal State Hayward president. "He's been tremendously successful in reaching out to the surrounding communities and building a growing campus that meets its current needs.

"With his knowledge of the Bay Area, I know that Peter will do the same thing for us." Wilson is excited about his new assignment.

"I am looking forward to further developing the already established relationship the Contra Costa Campus has with the community colleges in the area," Wilson said. "I recognize the tremendous potential represented by the campus as well as the responsibility that we have to serve the higher education needs of a fast growing area that is Contra Costa County."

Wilson succeeds Bette Felton, who has served as the Contra Costa Campus' interim dean since 2001.

Prior to joining Cal State San Bernardino as vice president of student services in 1983, Wilson was director of campus-wide student programs and services at UC Santa Cruz for eight years. Before that he was a counselor and director of student programs at UCLA.

He has been active with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and has served as president of the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators. While dean of the Palm Desert campus, Wilson was a member of the board of directors for the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, the Palm Springs Air Museum, and the World Affairs Council of the Desert. He also was chair of the air museum's education committee.

Wilson holds a doctorate degree in management and higher education from Ohio University, master's degrees in philosophy of education from UCLA and student personnel administration and counseling from Colgate University, and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Gettysburg College.

Cal State Hayward's Contra Costa Campus has been in operation in Concord for 11 years and currently serves about 1,300 full and part-time students in a cooperative effort with Diablo Valley and Los Medanos community colleges, which offer lower division courses on that campus.

Wilson and his wife Linda Rodgers will be residing in the East Bay area.

Media Contact: Barry Zepel, Office of Public Affairs, (510) 885-3884