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Remarks by Dr. Timothy P. White- October 6, 2020

Remarks by Dr. Timothy P. White – October 6, 2020
Chancellor, The California State University
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Star Award
Government Agency of the Year
Acceptance Remarks (as delivered)
October 6, 2020

On behalf of the entire California State University and its Board of Trustees, it is a great pleasure and a true honor to accept the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers’ STAR Award as the Government Agency of the Year.

Your mission – fostering Hispanic leadership in the STEM fields – is indeed a worthy one, and it is one that is closely aligned with the CSU’s core values.

And I am proud to say that the CSU is doing its part to advance that mission. In fact, 64% of California’s engineering degrees earned by Hispanic students were awarded by CSU campuses. Programs across our 23 institutions are dedicated to attracting – and supporting – Hispanic students in the STEM disciplines.

And as the leading producer of California’s teachers, we continue to develop programs and devote resources to graduate more – and more diverse – world-class teachers to inspire future generations of Hispanic engineers, scientists and mathematicians.

But as significant as the CSU’s impact has been in this area, it is really the university that owes a debt of gratitude to the Hispanic community. Members of the Hispanic community are among our most gifted faculty and staff, and they are visionary leaders at all levels of the university. Hispanic students are among our brightest and most engaged student leaders and enthusiastic volunteers, serving our campus communities.

Our STEM students are particularly active in this regard, mentoring K through 12 students in underserved communities in summer STEM programs across California, encouraging the next generation to dream big and to have the confidence to pursue those dreams, especially opportunities in the STEM fields that are in such high demand and so critically essential to our future prosperity. And I know this audience is well aware of the growing importance of a core STEM competency, regardless of one’s chosen profession.

In closing, I want to again express my heartfelt thanks to the SHPE – for this prestigious and humbling honor, and for the consequential and much-needed work you do on a daily basis – in California and across our great nation.