The newly appointed California State University Chancellor, Joseph Castro, made Cal State San Bernardino his second stop on a statewide virtual tour of campuses Wednesday.
During a media briefing, Castro, the former President of Cal State Fresno, said he plans to raise the visibility of the 23-campus system throughout the state and nation.
“We have such a powerful story to tell and we have such a dramatic transformational impact on our students and their families," said Castro. "I want to make sure that everyone knows about that and to inspire even more investment of all kinds, public and private investment because we can do even more.”
Since taking on the role in January, Castro has announced a series of plans including safely reopening campuses by the fall, an aggressive initiative to address equity gaps in graduation rates, and new tactics to recruit a diverse faculty that represents the students who attend CSUs. He said his background uniquely positions him to tackle these initiatives.
“It will serve me well during this time that I understand California, having been born here and [having] grown up here," said Castro. "My lived experiences are very similar to a vast majority of the students we serve.”
Castro, the eighth chancellor of the CSU, is the first native-Californian, Mexican-American and person of color to hold the position. He was also the first in his family to attend college, an experience that he shares with 84 percent of Cal State San Bernardino students.