It was announced today that Donand J. Para, the current provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, will serve as Interim President of Cal State Long Beach as F. King Alexander heads to Louisiana and the college begins the nationwide search for a new president.
The decision is one that is not only unsurprising, but begs the question of whether Para will formally throw his hat into the ring to vye for the top spot at CSULB.
Para was appointed the provost position in May of 2010, after formally ending his tenure of dean of the College of the Arts, which he held from July of 2001 to 2009. According to CSULB’s website, as the chief academic officer of CSULB, “Para provides academic leadership for the university and promotes excellence in all aspects of the university’s academic mission, including undergraduate and graduate education, research and creative activity, international education, service learning, community engagement, service to the profession, and faculty and academic staff development.” He has been with CSULB for 26 years and has previously held leadership roles at Cal State Los Angeles and Western Michigan University, his alma mater.
There have been no formal announcements of who will be contending for the permanent presidential seat, however CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White and the CSU Board of Trustees say they will soon commence a national search for the next campus president.
Para’s appointment becomes effective July 1.
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