The following statement can be attributed to CSU Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester:
“While president of California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) and throughout his service as general counsel for the California State University (CSU), Fram Virjee has been the epitome of a servant leader, displaying an infectious passion to improve opportunities for students.
An extraordinarily successful attorney, Fram came to the position of university president from a nontraditional background, but as both an immigrant and a first-generation college graduate, he strongly identified with the CSU mission. Throughout his presidency, he has been laser-focused on expanding access and success for students from all backgrounds.
Today, CSUF has the largest enrollment of any university in the CSU system, serving nearly 40,000 students. More importantly, those students are earning degrees like never before, with the university boasting all-time high graduation rates across multiple measures.
Significantly, many of these graduates are women or people of color. Cal State Fullerton confers more baccalaureate degrees on women or Latinx students than any other institution in California.
We are forever thankful for Fram's dedication, leadership and remarkable contributions to the CSU."
On January 23, 2023, CSUF President Framroze Virjee announced that he would retire from his role on July 31, 2023.
An interim president will be appointed to lead the university, and the CSU will launch a national search to identify Virjee's successor. Under university policy, the chair of the CSU Board of Trustees, Wenda Fong and Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester will select a committee comprised of campus and community stakeholders who will be publicly announced at a later date. Thereafter, campus and community input will be sought in an open forum held on the CSUF 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, nearly 460,000 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.