CSU Chancellor Timothy White attended an SF State faculty reception Tuesday followed by a free reception for students at the Village on Centennial Square Courtyard outside Subway for a meet and greet on campus.
The Chancellor is visiting SF State this week as part of his tour of the California State University system and all of its 23 campuses.
Wearing a charcoal gray pinstripe suit and a quiet air of confidence, White circulated among University students chatting about his previous visits to the college.
“It’s a vibrant campus with a feeling of community,” said White. “You draw students from all over the world and make them feel at home. It’s a great way to learn.”
Wednesday, the Chancellor’s last day on campus, will be spent conferring with students and faculty as well as listening to research presentations in the library.
“It’s really been a positive experience,” said SF State President Leslie E. Wong in between photo ops with students. “It’s a chance for him to learn more about us and for us to learn more about the CSU.”
University representatives sent out emails last week inviting students to the free catered reception.
“We wanted to show that school organizations have school spirit as well as team spirit,” said 19-year-old sophomore Tori Cruz who brought out her Cheer at SF State team members to show their support for the Chancellor.
White was appointed last year to manage the state’s college system, which has a budget of $5 billion and employs 44,000 faculty to instruct 437,000 students.
He was hired to replace retiring Chancellor Charles Reed who managed the state’s largest college system for 15 years.
White immediately asked for a 10 percent pay cut to his own salary in light of the state’s budget crisis. The move eased tensions between the California Faculty Association and the CSU system.
White has also pledged to implement an alcohol awareness program throughout the CSU system run by the nonprofit group Aware Awake Alive.
Born in Argentina, White immigrated to Canada with his parents and later to California before earning a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Prior to his appointment as the seventh Chancellor of the CSU system, White worked as the Chancellor of the University of California Riverside, which he grew to its largest student population in history.
