Three Finalists Named for CSU Stanislaus Presidency

(February 21, 2005) – The California State University today named three finalists for the presidency of California State University, Stanislaus.

The three finalists and the dates they will visit the campus for all-day meetings with various groups are:

• James William “Bill” Berry, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Butler University, will visit CSU Stanislaus on Wednesday, March 9, and CSU Stanislaus-Stockton on Thursday, March 10.

• A. Gabriel M. Esteban, provost and dean of the faculty, University of Central Arkansas, will visit CSU Stanislaus on Tuesday, March 8, and CSU Stanislaus-Stockton on Wednesday, March 9.

• Ham Shirvani, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Chapman University, will visit CSU Stanislaus on Thursday, March 10, and CSU Stanislaus-Stockton on Friday, March 11.

Each of the three will spend a day on the campus and a half-day at the Stockton Center, meeting faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community. An open forum will be held daily for the campus community from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the Event Center. An open reception will be held daily from 4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., also in the Event Center. An open forum also will be held from 11:30 a.m. to noon at the Stockton Center.

(There will be daily media access during the campus visit from 3:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. in the Lakeside Room near the Event Center.)

“Any of these eminently qualified candidates would make an outstanding president for CSU Stanislaus,” said CSU Trustee Debra Farar, chair of the presidential search committee. “They all have extensive experience in higher education, strong academic credentials and leadership skills that will help them move the Stanislaus campus even further forward in providing quality and access for California students.”

The new president will succeed President Marvalene Hughes, who is leaving the campus in June after 11 years as president. She retired in 2004 but has been serving the past year as interim president.

The CSU Board of Trustees will interview the three finalists on March 14 and name the new Stanislaus president later that week. The trustees will set the president’s salary at a subsequent board meeting. The new leader would assume the presidency in July.

Berry has been in his current position at Butler University in Indianapolis since 2001. Previously, he was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; provost and dean of the faculty, University of Central Arkansas; and interim vice president for academic affairs, Arkansas State University, where he also served as director of the Honors Program and director of International Programs.

His Ph.D. is in history from Princeton University, and his bachelor’s degree in history/English is from the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville.

Esteban has been in his current position since 2003. Previously, he was dean, College of Business Administration, University of Central Arkansas; associate vice president for academic affairs, Arkansas Tech University; and institutional research officer, University of Houston – Victoria.

His Ph.D. is in administration from the University of California, Irvine. His master of science in Japanese business studies is from Chaminade University; his MBA and his bachelor of science degree in mathematics are both from the University of the Philippines.
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Shirvani has been in his current position since 2000. Previously, he was vice president for graduate studies and research, Queens College of The City University of New York; dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Massachusetts at Lowell; dean of the School of Architecture and Planning, University of Colorado at Denver; director of the School of Urban Policy, University of Louisville; and director of graduate studies, State University of New York at Syracuse.

Shirvani holds a doctorate from Princeton University. His master of landscape architecture is from Harvard University; his master of science is from Rensselaer Polytechnic University; his master of architecture is from the Pratt Institute; and his bachelor of architecture is from Polytechnic University of Central London, UK.

The CSU presidential search committee is composed of three trustees plus the board chair, the CSU chancellor, a CSU president, Stanislaus faculty, staff, student and alumni representatives and community members.

For more information on the candidates, go to http://executivesearch.calstate.edu.

CSU Stanislaus serves a diverse, growing student body on one of the state's most beautiful campuses with top programs in the arts, letters, sciences, teacher education and business. The Human Resource Management program has the nation's top student testing success rate. Partnership programs in nursing, business and agriculture help meet regional workforce needs, while Global Affairs collaborations offer students many study abroad opportunities. A student residence/dining facility expansion that doubled on-campus housing capacity opened in fall 2004 and construction has started on a new state-of-the art science building. See www.csustan.edu.

The California State University is the largest system of senior higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, nearly 400,000 students and 42,000 faculty and staff. Since the system was created in 1961, it has awarded about 2 million degrees, about 82,000 annually. The CSU is renowned for the quality of its teaching and for the job-ready graduates it produces. Its mission is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of the people of California. With its commitment to excellence, diversity and innovation, the CSU is the university system that is working for California. See www.calstate.edu.