CSU names interim chancellor amid calls for transparent search after short Castro tenure
The California State University board of trustees named an interim chancellor replacing Joseph I. Castro, who resigned last month over his handling of sexual harassment allegations while he was Fresno State president.
Former Cal State Northridge President Jolene Koester will serve as the interim chancellor for 12 months beginning May 1 while the board searches for a permanent chancellor. She will be the second woman to serve as chancellor.
Koester currently serves as a senior consultant for American Association of State Colleges and Universities. She was Cal State Northridge president from 2000-2011, and began her CSU career in 1980 at Sacramento State where she spent 17 years in teaching and administrative work.
During Tuesday’s board meeting, members of the California Faculty Association — the union that represents more than 29,000 employees — demanded a chancellor search open to faculty, students and staff.
Historically, such searches occur behind closed doors. But events around Castro’s hiring have heightened demands for more transparency.
The board on Tuesday formally launched an investigation into Fresno State and its handling of sexual harassment allegations when Castro was president at the university — and passed a resolution targeting a review and changes to retreat rights for university administrators.
That will include an end to its executive transition program until the board has reviewed recommendations provided by a task force and taken action.
Under that prior program, Castro after resigning as CSU chancellor was reassigned into the CSU Management Personnel Plan and classified as an advisor to the board. He received an annual salary of $401,364, which will be paid by the chancellor’s office on behalf of the CSU board of trustees and ends Feb. 17, 2023.
Fresno State, when Castro was president, agreed to a mediated settlement with former vice president of student affairs Frank Lamas that included $260,000 plus a letter of recommendation toward future employment.
Lamas, the target of a Title IX investigation involving the sexual harassment of a former employee in student affairs, held retreat rights at the university.
Castro in resigning as CSU chancellor also holds retreat rights to the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a professor of leadership and public policy.
The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 11:27 AM with the headline "CSU names interim chancellor amid calls for transparent search after short Castro tenure."