San Jose State selects Stephen Perez as school’s interim president
The Sacramento State official will replace Mary Papazian on Jan. 3
The California State University system has named the person who will lead San Jose State when current president Mary Papazian steps down next month in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal that rocked the university’s athletics department.
CSU Chancellor Joseph Castro announced Monday that he has appointed Stephen Perez, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Sacramento State University. Perez will serve as interim president.
Perez, an economics professor, will begin his new role on Jan. 3. Papazian is scheduled to depart on Dec. 21. Vincent Del Casino, senior vice president for academic affairs at the school, will be in charge during the brief window after Papazian leaves and Perez begins.
In a statement, Castro praised Perez’s leadership.
“His passion for increasing opportunity for all students and his track record of building collaborative relationships with students, faculty and staff will ensure that SJSU continues on its upward trajectory during this time of transition,” the chancellor said.
Perez’s arrival comes as the school is still reeling from a sexual harassment scandal involving the former director of sports medicine, Scott Shaw.
On Friday, the school said it had reached a $3.3 million settlement with 15 former student-athletes harassed by the longtime sports trainer, with the sum to be divided among the victims. Earlier this fall, after a U.S. Department of Justice investigation, the university agreed to a $1.6 million settlement with more than a dozen other victims.
Shaw is no longer at the school, and Marie Tuite left this summer after losing her job as athletic director. Papazian, who has been president since 2016, faced criticism from some members of the campus community for not responding to the scandal fast enough, even as she drew praise from San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo for being a “trusted partner” to the city.
“President Papazian’s decision to resign
from the presidency reflects her compassionate leadership,” Castro said when the school announced in October that Papazian would step down. “While professionally and personally difficult, this step demonstrates her commitment to the university moving forward.”
Perez, who has worked at Sacramento State since 2001, has served in a number of roles, including as a faculty athletics representative. He previously worked at Washington State University and Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UC San Diego, and earned graduate degrees from UC Davis.
He is expected to lead SJSU for about a year. The CSU Board of Trustees will begin a national search for a permanent president soon.
“From providing a transformational education to tens of thousands of students to serving as a cultural hub and an incubator for innovation, SJSU is driving the Silicon Valley and makes an impact that reverberates throughout the state and the world,” Perez said in a statement. “I enthusiastically welcome and appreciate the opportunity to work collaboratively with the dedicated students, faculty, staff, president’s cabinet and community to further increase the achievement of our talented and diverse students.”