Computer Expert Named to CSUF’s 1st Endowed Professorship

The chief engineer at a Santa Ana computer firm on Monday assumed the first endowed professorship in the history of Cal State Fullerton.

Dr. Harriet H. Kagiwada was described by school officials and colleagues as an expert on systems analysis, computer modeling and applied mathematics. She will teach two courses this semester, one in the theory of linear systems and another not yet decided, officials said.

“She’s seen as a lightning rod,” said Judy Mandel, the school’s spokeswoman. “The school wants her to go out and get grant money, and she has demonstrated an ability to do that.”

Kagiwada earned a doctorate in astrophysics from Japan’s Kyoto University in 1965 and degrees in math and physics from the University of Hawaii. She has worked for the RAND Corp. and Hughes Aircraft Co. Since 1987, she has worked in Camarillo as chief engineer for Santa Ana-based Infotec Development Inc.

She will receive an annual salary of $80,772 for her five-year appointment, with about $18,000 of that being paid through a $300,000 endowment made in 1988 by Rockwell International Corp., officials said. She could not be reached for comment Monday.

Kagiwada’s appointment coincides with the opening of the engineering school’s $9.5-million Computer Science Building.

“We are delighted to welcome such an accomplished engineer and brilliant scholar to Cal State Fullerton,” school president Jewell Plummer Cobb said. “Her appointment launches a program that we believe will influence the future of engineering education in our region.”

Edward F. Sowell, a computer science professor who headed the search committee, added in an interview: “Dr. Kagiwada’s application immediately came to the top of the stack among some very qualified people. . . . She’s a world-renowned figure.”

In addition to graduate and undergraduate-level teaching, Kagiwada will advise the engineering school dean on system engineering, help develop curriculum, conduct student and faculty seminars and serve as the school’s liaison to national and regional corporations, officials said.