In Open Letter, Chancellor Welcomes New HSU Leader, Praises Outgoing President Rossbacher for Graduating Many Students
“Hey there, Humboldt!” Chancellor Timothy P. White.
Open letter from California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White:
Yesterday, the California
State University Board of Trustees announced an important decision
that I am confident will have a lasting and profoundly positive
effect on the future of the North Coast.
Jackson.
Dr. Tom Jackson, Jr. has been
appointed the next president of Humboldt State University. Dr.
Jackson currently serves as President of Black Hills State
University, in Spearfish, South Dakota. A unanimous selection from a
deep pool of eminently qualified candidates, Dr. Jackson brings to
HSU
a wealth of administrative experience and a long history of improving
student achievement.
During his time as BHSU
president, Dr. Jackson has led many initiatives to increase
affordable opportunities for students to earn a college degree. His
dedication to service learning has strengthened the ties between the
university and its community.
He is a respected and
innovative leader who will ably steer HSU
into the next decade and beyond.
Humboldt State is critical to
the prosperity of the region. Through the quality of its academic
programs and the commitment of its world-class faculty, HSU
provides life-changing pathways to social mobility for the residents
of the North Coast. It is a vital engine that creates and sustains
thousands of jobs and generates hundreds of millions of dollars in
economic impact to the area.
Humboldt State is a public
good that benefits its extended community in myriad ways. Students,
employees and the community are connected through the academics,
athletics, cultural programs and research that thrive on and around
campus.
While HSU’s
future is bright and boasts unlimited opportunities, through a
confluence of factors, the campus – like any university – does
indeed face challenges. These challenges have required the current
administration to make a number of difficult decisions. Although
unpopular, these choices have been made in the best interests of the
campus’ ability to serve its students, and will help ensure
Humboldt State’s bright future.
Rossbacher.
I thank President Rossbacher
for her leadership at HSU
and for her service to the California State University and the people
of California. Student success has flourished during her time as
president, and four-year graduation rates have reached all-time
highs. One has to look back only a few days, to last weekend’s
commencement ceremonies and the 2,500 Californians who walked across
the stage to receive their bachelor’s or master’s degree, to see
the fruits of her labor.
She also has been dedicated to
inclusion and diversity. This is not merely my personal observation;
it was highlighted specifically in a commendation from the WASC
Senior College and University Commission as part of HSU’s
re-accreditation – yet another feather in her cap.
President Rossbacher has laid
a solid foundation upon which Dr. Jackson will continue to build.
During
the coming months, Dr. Jackson will engage community members and
other stakeholders, as HSU
redoubles
its efforts to not only sustain, but grow the life-changing
opportunities and economic benefits it provides to its students and
the region it serves.