Jane Close Conoley will be the seventh president in the history of Cal State Long Beach. Credit: Cal State Long BeachThe Dean of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, Jane Close Conoley, on Wednesday was named President of Cal State Long Beach, effective Aug. 1. She will be the first female to hold this position in the university’s 65-year history.
According to news reports, Long Beach Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal announced the news in a statement in which she praised Conoley as “a proven educator and leader whose vision will boost CSULB to even greater heights.”
In a statement, Conoley said: "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. The excellence of its academic offerings, its storied athletic heritage and its unique location has made it one of CSU’s most popular campuses for prospective students.”
UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang, in an email to the campus community, thanked Conoley for her “extraordinary leadership” and “distinguished contributions.”
“Dr. Conoley is well known for the depth and impact of her research on school psychology,” Chancellor Yang said in the email. “She has authored or edited 21 books and over one hundred articles and book chapters. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society.”
Dean Conoley served for eight months as Acting Chancellor of UC Riverside, and returned to UC Santa Barbara in August 2013.
For more information, read Chancellor Yang’s message to the Campus Community below and the following articles:
“New Cal State Long Beach president selected,” Los Angeles Times
“Jane Close Conoley to be first woman to lead CSULB,” Long Beach Press-Telegram
"First woman chosen to lead Cal State Long Beach," Orange County Register
January 29, 2014
TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Dear Colleagues:
Today the California State University Board of Trustees announced its selection of Jane Close Conoley, Dean of our Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, as the next president of California State University, Long Beach, effective August 1, 2014.
Our UC Santa Barbara community will feel her loss keenly. At the same time, we are proud and thrilled that Dean Conoley has been appointed to this important leadership position, where she will be able to contribute in new and exciting ways to California’s higher education system and our global academic community.
Dr. Jane Close Conoley served for eight months as Acting Chancellor at UC Riverside before returning to UCSB.We will move quickly to consult with our campus community and form a search advisory committee for our next GGSE Dean.
I am honored to take this opportunity to thank Dean Conoley for the extraordinary leadership she has provided to our Gevirtz School since 2006, as well as her distinguished contributions to UC as a whole, including her recent term as Acting Chancellor of UC Riverside.
Dr. Conoley is well known for the depth and impact of her research on school psychology. She has authored or edited 21 books and over one hundred articles and book chapters. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society. Prior to joining UC Santa Barbara, Dr. Conoley served for ten years as dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University. Before that she was a professor, department chair, and associate dean for research and curriculum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also has held faculty positions at Texas Woman’s University and Syracuse University, and has taught in public schools in both Texas and New York. She received her B.A. in psychology from the College of New Rochelle, and her Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Please join me in extending our warmest congratulations to Dean Conoley. We wish her all the best as she takes on this wonderful new challenge and opportunity.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor