CSUS Provost among finalists for Northridge presidency

David Sommers
State Hornet
Published November 4, 1999

Jolene Koester, CSUS Provost and vice president for academic affairs, has been named today as one of the four finalists for the presidency of California State University, Northridge.

The candidates will visit the Northridge campus next week and hold public forums for the candidates to speak with campus constituencies. Koester is scheduled to speak on Wednesday, Nov. 10.

Within the past 18 months Koester has been a finalist for the presidency of two other colleges; the University of Toledo in Ohio, a position that called for a candidate with "warmth, patience and a sense of inclusiveness," and the presidency of CSU San Bernardino.

A selection committee, made up of CSU Board of Trustees members, began a search for a new president in June. The CSU Trustees are scheduled to select the new CSU Northridge president at the board meeting on Nov. 15-17.

"The selection committee has worked very hard over the past several months to choose from many outstanding individuals," said CSU Trustee Laurence Gould, chair of the selection committee in a published statement. "These finalists have various experiences, but all of them are well-prepared to lead CSU Northridge the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead."

Koester is the firt to admit that there are many challenges facing the next presient of Northridge.

"Many members of the upper administration at CSUN are interim. It would be necessary to consider if these people will continue in their interim posts," said Koester.

Additionally, Northridge is still in the midst of millions of dollars of renovations and retrogrades after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. "I have never been in an earthquake but I'm sure I could handle the stress just fine," said Koester.

Nearly 100 candidates applied for the position.

Speculations that Koester would eventually be a candidate for the Northridge job began circulating on the CSUS campus as far back as May when former CSU Northridge president Blenda Wilson announced her resignation to become the CEO of a non-profit organization in Connecticut.

In 1996 Koester and Wilson served on a CSU systemwide Commission on Learning Resources and Instructional Technology.

Other candidates for the Northridge position include Gretchen Battaille, provost and academic vice president at Washington State University, Antoine Garibaldi, provost and chief academic officer at Howard University, and Jane Pisano, senior vice president for external relations and former dean of the school of public administration at the University of Southern California.

Prior to her time at WSU, Bataille served as the provost of the college of arts and letters at UC Santa Barbara and the associate dean of academic personnel at Arizona State University.

Garibaldi has been with Howard University since 1996. Formerly he served as the vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college of arts and sciences at Xavier University in Louisiana.

Pisano has served in a variety of administrative positions at USC since 1991. Prior to that she was president of the Los Angeles 2000 Committee, Director of Corporate Administration at the Los Angeles Times and a White House Fellow in national security.

Koester first came to CSU Sacramento as a faculty member in 1983. She has since served as chair of the department of communication studies and held several executive positions in academic affairs since 1989.

"Dr. Koester has many different qualities, as do all the candidates," said Ken Swisher, spokesman for CSU Chancellor Charles Reed. "I’m sure Dr. Koester will be well prepared."

Does Koester think she will become the next president of CSU Northridge?

"I think I have an even chance."