Fullerton : CSUF’s Cobb Honored for Aiding Minorities

Jewel Plummer Cobb was given an honorary doctor of laws degree for her advocacy on behalf of women and minorities in a ceremony Sunday at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J.

Cobb, the first black woman president of a major public university in the western United States, has presided over Cal State Fullerton and its 24,000 students since 1981. Before taking over at CSUF, Cobb was dean of Douglass College at Rutgers University.

Cobb, 65, was honored for her civic work, as a member of corporate and foundation boards, and for her efforts to assist women and minorities in scientific fields. Cobb, a biologist by academic training, is known for her lifelong study of melanoma cancer and cell physiology.

It is the latest of many awards for Cobb, who received the Torch of Liberty award from the Orange County chapter of the Anti-Defamation League of the B’nai B’rith in 1986. She was cited for her “commitment on behalf of minorities and women, and advancing human rights and dignities for all.”