The following statement can be attributed to CSU Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester:
“Under President William Covino's leadership, student achievement has reached unprecedented heights at California State University, Los Angeles. The university has made remarkable progress by more than doubling the four-year graduation rate for first-year students. Students coming from community colleges are achieving similar success, with their graduation rates reaching all-time highs, as well. These success measures demonstrate just a few of the ways that Dr. Covino has positively impacted the university. Cal State LA also ranks in the very highest echelon of the nation's universities when it comes to driving upward social mobility for its students.
Under his guidance, Cal State LA has also gained renown for its innovative academic and student-support programming, and has established vital community partnerships that serve as models for the rest of the California State University.
Over the course of more than 40 years in higher education, Bill Covino has transformed the lives of countless students at San Diego State, Stanislaus State, Fresno State and Cal State LA, and I thank him for his many years of distinguished and dedicated service to the CSU."
On August 18, 2022, California State University, Los Angeles president William A. Covino announced that he will retire from his role as university president upon the completion of the 2022-23 academic year. Covino is the seventh president of Cal State LA and has served in the role since 2013. He joined Cal State LA after serving as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Fresno State. Covino also held the role of provost at Stanislaus State, and he began his career in higher education as an assistant professor at San Diego State.
The CSU will soon launch a national search for Covino's successor. Under university policy, the chair of the CSU Board of Trustees, Wenda Fong, and Interim Chancellor Koester will select a committee comprised of campus and community stakeholders who will be publicly announced at a later date. Campus and community input will be sought in an open forum held on the Cal State LA campus.
About the California State University
The California State University is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, 477,000 students and 56,000 faculty and staff. Nearly 40 percent of the CSU's undergraduate students transfer from California Community Colleges. The CSU was created in 1960 with a mission of providing high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity and student success, the CSU is renowned for superb teaching, innovative research and for producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards more than 132,000 degrees. One in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU and our alumni are 4 million strong. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU NewsCenter.