The first chancellor of color was announced Wednesday morning as the California State University Board of Trustees appointed Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro.

Chancellor Timothy White will be stepping down as chancellor following his eight-year term, finally settling into his delayed retirement. Castro will begin his term next year on Jan. 4, 2021, after serving seven years as the Fresno State University’s president. 

“We congratulate Dr. Castro on his selection as CSU chancellor. We look forward to working with him as we continue our commitment to the success of our students,” said a statement from Cal State LA’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

Castro, the grandson of immigrants from Mexico, the son of a single mother, and the first in his family to graduate from a university will be representing CSU’s diversity accurately.

According to the CSU diversity page, ​“62% of all bachelor’s degrees granted to California’s Hispanic students are conferred by the CSU.” The site added that one-third of CSU undergraduates are the first of their family to attend college.

Dr. Castro was President of Fresno State since 2013 and has mentored hundreds of other scholars and practitioners, including many other university presidents and senior officers, according to the Fresno State biography of Dr. Castro.

He received a B.A. in political science and an M.P.P. in public policy from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in higher education policy and leadership from Stanford University, according to the CSU press release.

In a campus-wide email, President William Covino addressed the new chancellor-select, encouraging students to attend a live event hosted by the Chancellor’s Office titled “Conversations with the Chancellor-select.”

The event is scheduled for this Friday at 11 a.m.

According to the email, the event “will be a unique opportunity for the CSU’s students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders to learn more about the chancellor-select. I encourage you to please attend.”