1st Presidential Finalist Speaks at CSUN

Antoine M. Garibaldi, one of four candidates seeking the presidency at Cal State Northridge, offered few specific plans for the campus in a public forum Monday, focusing instead on his experience as an administrator at two of the nation’s best-known black universities.

Speaking before an audience of about 100, Garibaldi, provost and chief academic officer at Howard University in Washington, D.C., carefully sidestepped hot-button issues during a one-hour question-and-answer session.

He was the first of the four candidates to meet with the public in a series of forums scheduled this week. The four will be interviewed next week by the California State University Board of Trustees.

A 49-year-old Louisiana native and a graduate of Howard University and the University of Missouri, Garibaldi described himself as having a “unique set of educational experiences” that go back to his time as a public elementary school teacher and a high school principal.

Garibaldi said he came from a large family that placed a premium on higher education--five of his eight brothers went to Xavier University, a historically black school in New Orleans where Garibaldi held various administrative jobs, including vice president for academic affairs. His two sisters taught Spanish and French.

Trained as an educational psychologist, Garibaldi said he has written 80 books and articles and continues to publish several times a year, mostly on teaching performance, urban education and diversity in schools.

Among his greatest administrative accomplishments, Garibaldi said, was merging the seven colleges at Howard University into three.

“[Howard’s] board of trustees told us to do it,” he said. “But they didn’t say how.”

Perhaps referring to the 1994 Northridge earthquake that caused more than $400 million in damage to the campus, someone in the audience asked him how he performs under pressure.

“I try to be cool under pressure,” Garibaldi said. “You can’t shake. You can’t show the troops that you’re concerned about something because if you show it, they’ll be concerned, too.”

Garibaldi declined to answer a question about proposals to build a new athletic stadium within earshot of neighboring residents, many of whom oppose the plan. He said he did not understand the issue well enough to respond.

Addressing concerns that Cal State Northridge needs to foster better relationships with communities and organizations in the San Fernando Valley, Garibaldi said he is “very actively involved in the community.”

“Universities must play an active role in communities, schools, community organizations, in the business community,” he said.

He described himself as a strong proponent of technology on college campuses and said such tools could help CSUN’s renowned National Center on Disabilities.

Garibaldi said he is committed to diversity and that ethnic studies courses should continue to be included in CSUN’s general education requirements. He is the only African American finalist and the only male.

The audience of students, faculty, staff and administrators seemed generally pleased with Garibaldi and his smooth delivery.

Henry B. Lopez, a political science professor, praised Garibaldi’s calm demeanor: “He was extraordinarily knowledgeable and articulate.”