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Donald Rogers Gerth
Dr. Donald R. Gerth

Personal::Education::Military Service Career::International activities
Writings::Other Matters

Contact Information

Title: President Emeritus
E-mail: dongerth@csus.edu
Fax: (916) 771-3413
Mailing
Address:
California State University Sacramento
University Library 3022
2000 State University Drive East
Sacramento, CA 95819-6039
Mailing
Address:
7132 Secret Garden Loop
Roseville, CA 95747

Personal ::

  • Born - Chicago, Illinois, 1928
  • Married - Beverly Jean Hollman, 1955
  • Family - Daughter Annette Cecelia Schofield and son Riley Donald Schofield. Daughter Deborah Ann Hougham, husband Harold Alan Hougham, and children Ryan Andrew Hougham, Katelyn Alaine Hougham, Scott Avery Hougham, and Ross Alexander Hougham.

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Education ::

  • Chicago parochial and public schools
  • A.B., 1947, The College, University of Chicago
  • A.M., 1951, Political Science, University of Chicago
  • Graduate School and Institute of Languages and Linguistics,
    Georgetown University, 1952-53
  • Ph. D., 1963, Political Science, University of Chicago

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Military Service ::

  • U. S. Air Force, January 1952 to June 1956, psychological warfare, intelligence, and comptroller assignments
  • Discharged with rank of captain.

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Career ::

  • Various teen age jobs since 13 years of age:
    1. office boy
    2. shoe salesman
    3. insurance rating clerk
    4. worker in a steel mill
  • Assistant to Assistant Dean of Students and to Chancellor of University of Chicago, 1947 – 49
  • Field Representative, Southeast Asia, World University Service 1950
  • Admissions Counselor, University of Chicago, 1950 – 51, and
    1956 – 1958, also set up an institutional research function
  • Associate Dean of Students for Admissions and Records and member of the Department of Government faculty, San Francisco State University, 1958 – 63
  • Deputy Dean, Institutional Relations and Student Affairs, The California State University, 1963 – 64
  • Professor of Political Science, California State University Chico, 1964 – 76. Dean of Students, 1964 – 68
    • Danforth Foundation research grant, 1968 – 69
    • Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs – academic planning and Director of International Programs, 1969 – 70
    • Vice President for Academic Affairs 1970 – 76)
  • President and Professor of Political Science, California State University Dominguez Hills, 1976 – 84
  • President and Professor of Government and of Public Policy and Administration, California State University Sacramento, 1984 – 2003
  • President and Professor of Public Policy and Administration Emeritus, California State University Sacramento and Special Assistant to the Chancellor, The California State University 2003 – present.

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International activities ::

  • Began with work as Field Representative in Southeast Asia for World University Service (see career)
  • Continued with study at Georgetown, service in U. S. Air Force in Southeast Asia
  • In Ph.D. program did work on India especially, some published with faculty publications
  • Long hiatus while in a variety of administrative roles (although worked on foreign student policy issues in the California State University in the late 1960s)
  • Reemerged as a president with respect to China, leading fairly early delegation of U. S. university presidents to the Peoples’ Republic of China 1984
  • Invited to be chair of the North American Council of the International Association of University Presidents in 1988
  • IAUP president-elect 1993 – 96
  • President IAUP 1996 – 99
  • IAUP executive committee member to present
  • In 1995 appointed by Director General of UNESCO to a small planning steering committee of rectors, vice-chancellors, presidents for World Conference on Higher Education - 1998. Remained active with UNESCO to 2003
  • Appointed in 1998 by Secretary General of the United Nations to a six-year term on the Council of the United Nations University (like a governing board in some ways) 1998 – 2004
  • Elected chair of American Council for the United Nations University 2004 – present.

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Writings ::

  • Beyond graduate work, dissertation in political science (Chicago) “Government of Public Higher Education in California;” this was essentially pre-California Master Plan
  • Numerous papers, addresses, reports, monographs, and the like about public policy and higher education, about the California State University, about international higher education over the years
  • Co-author, The Learning Society, Danforth Foundation project, 1969
  • Co-author and co-editor, "An Invisible Giant"
  • The California State Colleges, Jossey-Bass, 1971.
  • 2005 report on accreditation/quality assurance in Taiwan.
  • Currently researching and writing the history of the California State University system.
     

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Other Matters ::

  • Served as officer on numerous community, civic, higher education, and international groups and boards over the years. A few examples are:
    • School district personnel board
    • Hospital board
    • Chamber of Commerce
    • Every conceivable role in United Way to campaign chair and board chair
  • Founding chair of the Northern California World Trade Center 1996 (continued as chair for seven years, still on board)
  • Member and chair of Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities Council for Higher Education Accreditation group or commission on international accreditation/quality assurance (still working on this).

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last updated: 02/17/2009