The seventh chancellor to lead the 23-campus CSU system since its founding in the early 1960s, White is expected to start in his new position at the end of December and will receive an annual salary at the same level as the current chancellor, $421,500 plus a $30,000 supplement from CSU Foundation sources.
The search for a new chancellor following Chancellor Charles Reed’s retirement announcement earlier this year was conducted largely in secret, despite many calls for a transparent process.
An external group of CSU stakeholders included a CSUEU member, Vonetta Augustine of CSU Long Beach; that group was charged with advising the CSU board and the Special Committee for the Selection of the Chancellor.
White, 63, has served as UCR Chancellor since 2008. He was president of the University of Idaho from 2004 to 2008 and also served as a dean, provost and executive vice president, and interim president at Oregon State University. He previously held positions as professor and chair of the Department of Human Biodynamics at the University of California, Berkeley, and as professor and chair of the Department of Movement Science at the University of Michigan.
Born in Argentina, White immigrated to Northern California and is a first-generation college student who has matriculated within every college system in California. After beginning at Diablo Valley Community College, he earned a bachelor's from Fresno State, a master’s degree from Cal State Hayward (East Bay), and a Ph.D. at UC Berkeley.
Early last year, White was featured on the CBS show “Undercover Boss,” working in disguise in jobs across the UCR campus to get a better idea of working conditions within the campus community. Read an in-depth article about the show from UCR Today and see a 30-second promo for the episode.