Former Cal State Northridge president named interim CSU chancellor

Former Cal State Northridge President Jolene Koester will serve as the interim chancellor of the California State University system following last month's abrupt resignation of Joseph I. Castro, who was under scrutiny over how he handled allegations of sexual misconduct by a top administrator.

Koester, 74, will assume the role May 1 and serve for 12 months while the board of trustees searches for a permanent chancellor. She will be the first woman to serve as CSU chancellor in more than 30 years, and the second woman to hold the position.

“The CSU and its 23 campuses make a significant impact on California and the nation, and I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to serve as their interim chancellor,” Koester said in a statement.

Koester has inherited a system that has been buffeted in recent months by outcry over Castro's handling of sexual harassment and workplace harassment allegations while he was president of Fresno State, and the $401,364 payout package he received after he resigned.

In 2020, Castro was named

CSU chancellor just three weeks after he negotiated a lucrative settlement agreement for a former vice president under investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct, bullying and intimidation. Then-Chancellor Timothy P. White consulted on the settlement. Castro previously told the Los Angeles Times that he had not informed the board of the investigation or the settlement, believing White would do so if he deemed it necessary.

Faculty, students and staff have called for reforms of retreat rights — which have allowed executives, even those embroiled in controversy, to become faculty should they resign from their top post — and of a special program that, according to a Times investigation, has paid departing executives millions in recent years. The board of trustees announced Tuesday that it is taking action to review existing policies and has halted the transition program until further review. Additionally, CSU will launch a systemwide assessment of Title IX procedures and an investigation into the incident at Fresno State.

Koester currently serves as a senior consultant for American Association of State Colleges and Universities. She was Cal State Northridge president from 2000 to 2011, during a time when student population increased by more than 25%, from 29,000 to nearly 37,000. Under her tenure, Cal State Northridge increased graduation and retention rates.

She started her CSU career in 1980 as an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Sacramento State. During her 17 years there, she served as an associate professor, professor, department chair, assistant vice president, associate vice president, vice president for academic affairs and provost. Prior to that, she worked at University of Missouri at Columbia and the University of Minnesota.