The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees has announced its selection of Jane Close Conoley as the newest president of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).

Currently serving as dean of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Conoley is the first woman to be appointed president of CSULB and the seventh president overall in the 65-year history of the campus. She is expected to begin her new position in July.

“Cal State Long Beach is renowned for its quality, diversity and global mission and it is an honor to be selected as the university’s next president,” said Conoley. “The excellence of its academic offerings, its storied athletic heritage and its unique location has made it one of the CSU’s most popular campuses for prospective students. This is a vibrant university that plays a key role in Southern California, and I embrace the opportunity to work with the outstanding students, faculty, staff and Long Beach community to reach even greater heights.”

Conoley replaces CSULB Provost Donald J. Para, who has been serving as interim president since June 2013. Para succeeded F. King Alexander, who left the campus last June to become president of the Louisiana State University system and chancellor of Louisiana State University A&M.

“As the result of the leadership of former presidents Robert Maxson and King Alexander, CSULB is now nationally recognized for providing a high-quality, low-cost education and for making student success the central strategic goal of the campus,” Para pointed out. “I’m confident that Dr. Conoley will continue to build upon their achievements and place student success at the top of her agenda.”

Since 2006, Conoley has been the dean at UCSB as well as a professor of counseling, clinical and school psychology. Prior to her service at UCSB, she served as dean and professor of educational psychology at Texas A&M University (1996-2005) and associate dean for research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Teachers College (1989-94). She also held faculty positions at Texas Woman’s University and Syracuse University.

The author or editor of 21 books, Conoley earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of New Rochelle and a Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Founded in 1949, CSULB enrolls some 35,500 students, making it one of the largest four-year universities in California and the nation. Students are served by more than 2,100 faculty members within the university’s eight colleges, which offer 85 baccalaureate degrees, 64 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees.

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