HIGHER ED NEWS: Dr. Joseph I. Castro, former CSU chancellor, Fresno State president and CVHEC board chair
‘His impact on our students, our communities,
and the Valley itself will be felt for generations to come’
Dr. Joseph I. Castro, the former chancellor of California State University and president of CVHEC-member Fresno State, died Sunday, Aug. 24, his family announced. He was 58.
“His warmth, generosity, and conviction in the power of education to change lives touched his family most deeply and extended to students, colleagues and communities across California and beyond,” his family wrote in a memoriam published online.
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Dr. Castro made history as the first person of color to serve as president of Fresno State and later as the first Valley native, first Californian and first person of color to lead the California State University system as chancellor.
“His story — from Hanford to Stanford and back to serve the Valley — inspired and resonated with many, and he dedicated much of his professional life to expanding access to higher education,” said Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Fresno State president in a university statement posted Aug. 25. He ordered a flag tribute for his predecessor with the University flags posted at half staff ___. Services were held ___
“During his time at Fresno State, while reminding us to ‘Be Bold,’ he launched initiatives focused on student success and social mobility, and championed support for first-generation students,” said the current Fresno State president who also succeeded Dr. Castro on the CVHEC board. “While his tenure in leadership included moments that prompted important conversations within our community, we mark his passing with compassion and care for all who loved him.”
In a CVHEC statement, Executive Director Benjamin Duran noted that Dr. Castro served as a member and chair of the CVHEC Board of Directors when he was president of Fresno State. “I was grateful to have him as a partner in advancing higher education opportunities for students across our 10-county region. His impact on our students, our communities, and the Valley itself will be felt for generations to come.”
The Cal State Student Association noted that Dr. Castro’s story reflected the story of many CSU students.
“CSSA recognizes Chancellor-Select Castro’s story as the grandson of immigrants from Mexico, son of a single mother, and the first in his family to graduate from college; a story that resembles that of so many students at the CSU and serves as an example of the transformational power of higher education in an individual’s life, their families life, and lives of those in their communities,” CSSA said in 2020 when Dr. Castro was appointed CSU chancellor.
Dr. Michael V. Drake, University of California President (2020-25) said Dr. Castro “really did create a pathway that hadn’t been there before.
“For someone like him to rise to being the leader of the largest public education system in the country was unimaginable when he was growing up, and it was really a special thing for him to achieve.”
Hugo Morales, co-executive director and founder of Radio Bilingue, served as California State University Trustee (2012-20) at the time that Dr.Castro was president of Fresno State and was also part of the board when it voted him to be CSU chancellor.
“He made history, both as the first Chicano to lead Fresno State and CSU,” said Morales. “His focus on students really paid off. He took that message (of seeing themselves in college) to a lot of kids in our Valley. Changed the Valley and changed Fresno State for the better in terms of opportunities for our students at Fresno State and all CSU. Demonstrated what can be done at the CSU.”
Francisco Ramirez, Jr., who was mayor of Dr. Castro’s hometown Hanford from 2020-21, said, “On that evening in 2020, when our city honored him, I saw more than an accomplished academic. I saw a man who carried his community in his heart, who had worked tirelessly to open doors for others, and who believed that no student’s background should limit their dreams.”
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