New Cal State Long Beach president selected
A veteran educator with experience in California and Texas was named Wednesday as president of California State University Long Beach.
Jane Close Conoley, 66, is currently serving as dean of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California Santa Barbara.
She will succeed F. King Alexander who left in June to become president and chancellor of Louisiana State University. Her appointment was announced at a meeting of the Board of Trustees in Long Beach.
Conoley will be the seventh president at the 65-year-old campus and its first female leader.
“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,” Conoley said in a statement. “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.”
Prior to her Santa Barbara post, Conoley served as dean and professor of educational psychology at Texas A&M University and associate dean for research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Teachers College.
Conoley received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of New Rochelle and a doctorate in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.
“Dr. Conoley has dedicated her life to education and has served as a teacher, professor and top administrator. Her extensive experience as an educator and her understanding of California make her the perfect choice to lead Cal State Long Beach,” said trustee Roberta Achtenberg, who led the search committee.
Conoley is expected to assume her post in July. Her salary will be set by the board at its March meeting.
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