Vang Vang

Vang Vang, an instructional technology librarian at Fresno State, is recognized for maximizing her skills in technology to support the success of the campus's diverse student body and faculty.

Vang has shown commitment to promoting diversity at Fresno State by serving as the library's sole coordinator of all diversity-related activities for many years. When the newly rebuilt Madden Library opened in 2009, Vang advocated for a diversity area in the library and championed staff time to build relationships, programs and events that would celebrate and educate the community regarding diversity issues and activities. Ten years later, the Diversity Lounge is thriving and the Library Diversity Committee​ is recognized as a leader throughout the campus and regarded as a “best practice" among CSU libraries for faculty and staff collaboration.

Vang took the lead to serve as Fresno State's coordinator for the Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) initiative. In her service and dedication to addressing student needs, Vang secured over $125,000 in grant funds from the CSU Chancellor's Office to help students save money on textbooks. To date, she has saved over $900,000 in textbook costs for more than 9,000 Fresno State students.

Vang received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association to present Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, a public programming initiative that sheds light on the rich Latinx heritage and stories of the Central Valley. The program attracted StoryCorps to Fresno State, leading to a feature on KQED.

“One of her greatest strengths is building relationships and making connections between students, staff and faculty. Her rapport with our students and her skills with emerging technologies are legendary as is her quiet leadership," says Gretchen Higginbottom, head of interlibrary loan at Fresno State.​