A new president will oversee Cal State Long Beach beginning in May, after a protracted search by the Cal State University Board of Trustees.
Loren J. Blanchard, the current president of the University of Houston-Downtown, will succeed Andrew Jones, an alum of CSULB, who served as acting president after Jane Close Conoley retired last summer.
“CSULB is renowned for being a student-centered university that fosters a culture of holistic support, community engagement and inclusive excellence,” Blanchard said in a news release, expressing that he is honored and humbled to be selected to lead the institution.
The search committee appointed by the CSU chancellor and board of trustees previously said they expected to have a replacement by July, but the process dragged on for another six months, culminating in the announcement of Blanchard’s appointment on Wednesday.
“The committee was impressed with Dr. Blanchard’s demonstrated strategic and inclusive leadership style and strong commitment to student success,” said Christopher Steinhauser, a CSU Trustee who led the search committee.
Blanchard comes to the role with over three decades of experience in higher education. He has worked in senior roles in academic and multicultural affairs at several Louisiana universities.
Most recently, during his five-year tenure at University of Houston-Downtown, he oversaw a strategic plan that improved graduation rates, increased merit pay to faculty and staff and doubled the university’s annual fundraising portfolio. During Blanchard’s time at UHD, the Wall Street Journal ranked the university highest for diversity among Southern colleges.
Last February, Cal State Long Beach students demanded that their next president prioritize student mental health, support Latino students and have a deeper understanding of the local and regional community, according to the Long Beach Current.
Blanchard already has experience in the CSU system, serving as executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for six years. During that time, he developed CSU’s decade-long effort to improve educational outcomes, which doubled graduation rates across the system for first-year, first-time students.
As president, Blanchard will have to contend with lower than projected funding from the state, capacity issues impacting CSULB’s ability to fulfill promises to Long Beach high schoolers and concerns over transparency, corporatization and academic freedom.