Top stories: A stormy tenure; Fresno State president flexes; beloved ‘G’ returns

Three of the four top stories Monday involved troubled leadership at Fresno-area higher-education institutions. The most popular among subscribers was a retrospective timeline of the somewhat stormy tenure of Carole Goldsmith, the retiring chancellor of the State Center Community College District. The next two most popular stories focused on troubled leadership at the $315 million Fresno State Foundation, the charitable organization overseen by its board. Readers also loved a story about the return of a beloved downtown landmark to the Fresno skyline.

Here are The Fresno Bee’s top stories from Monday to catch you up

• Rise and fall of Fresno-area junior college chancellor. How faculty trust was lost: State Center Community College District Chancellor Carole Goldsmith faced a unanimous no-confidence vote from 250 union members in November 2025 who cited over-centralized leadership and a culture of retaliation. Goldsmith announced her September 2026 retirement hours before the vote, saying the decision was made on her own terms. Faculty grievances include an ethics complaint alleging nepotism over a $161,000 consultant and a tripling of the district’s annual legal expenses tied to lawsuits alleging retaliation and discrimination.
• Fresno State president ousts longtime board members of embattled $315M foundation: Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval will not reappoint five longstanding board members, including chairperson Vinci Ricchiuti, at the end of their four-year terms Tuesday. The foundation manages more than $315 million in university endowments and has faced criticism for lack of board turnover and governance weaknesses. A CSU chancellor’s office review identified 46 governance and operational deficiencies but found no evidence of malfeasance.
• Foundation boards across CSU rotate officers, limit terms, unlike at Fresno State: The Fresno State Foundation eliminated term limits in 2022 and lacks officer rotation, diverging from governance practices at other CSU foundations. A CSU chancellor’s office review found critical governance and financial control issues, including outdated financial processes, weak internal controls over wire transfers and non-compliance with bylaws. The foundation has been led by chairperson Vinci Ricchiuti since 2017, with four board members serving more than 20 years and 11 additional members serving 10 or more years.
• A couple hiccups and a rebuild later, historic G sign returns to downtown Fresno: The State Center Community College District on Friday turned on the lights of an 18-foot LED replica of the historic G sign that sat atop the Mattei Building for nearly six decades. The original sign was in severe disrepair when the district took over the building in 2018, with a broken electrical system, rusted panels and structural instability. The original sign was donated to the Fresno County Historical Museum after a two-year removal and restoration project.

Original stories by Nick Fenley, Robert Kuwada and Joshua Tehee

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