{"id":73,"date":"2026-05-21T04:13:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=73"},"modified":"2026-05-21T04:13:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:13:04","slug":"another-cal-state-university-president-to-depart-as-system-faces-multiple-vacancies-for-top-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=73","title":{"rendered":"Another Cal State University president to depart as system faces multiple vacancies for top jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cal State East Bay President Cathy Sandeen announced Wednesday that she will step down at the end of the year \u2014 adding another leadership vacancy to a California State University system already navigating presidential turnover, budget pressure and criticism over executive pay.<\/p>\n

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By November of last year, the university had three presidential vacancies \u2014 CSU Long Beach, Channel Islands and Cal Poly Pomona \u2014 with two additional presidents set to retire at CSU San Bernardino and Dominguez Hills.<\/p>\n

Sandeen has served as the Hayward-based university\u2019s president since January 2021. She did not provide a reason for her departure but said she did not arrive at the decision \u201clightly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no easy way to say this because this community has meant so much to me, but after a great deal of reflection and consideration, I have made the decision to step down as president of Cal State East Bay at the end of 2026,\u201d Sandeen said in her announcement Wednesday.<\/p>\n

CSU East Bay officials did not respond to a request for comment by press time Wednesday.<\/p>\n

This year has seen a whirlwind of entrances and exits at top CSU jobs. Loren J. Blanchard joined CSU Long Beach as the campus\u2019 newest president in May, while CSU Dominguez Hills and Channel Islands currently have interim presidents. Cal Poly Pomona announced in March that CSU Monterey Bay President Vanya Qui\u00f1ones will serve as the campus\u2019 new president beginning in July.<\/p>\n

That means the Monterey Bay campus will soon begin a search for the school\u2019s next president, joining CSU San Bernardino, Channel Islands, Dominguez Hills and now CSU East Bay in the hunt for campus leaders.<\/p>\n

The search comes as the Cal State system approved more than half a million dollars in pay raises last year in an effort to improve recruiting for executive-level candidates. The policy approved salary increases ranging from $22,000 to more than $100,000.<\/p>\n

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University trustees approved the pay hikes and eliminated salary caps for the system\u2019s executive employees \u2014 presidents, vice chancellors and the CSU chancellor, Mildred Garc\u00eda \u2014 in November after a pay analysis from an outside consulting firm found that about 75% of comparable institutions pay executives more than CSU.<\/p>\n

The university\u00a0system said the previous policy \u2014 which capped president salaries at no more than 10% above the predecessor\u2019s salary \u2014 and filling vacant positions.<\/p>\n

But the move was heavily criticized by CSU faculty and staff \u2014 as well as state legislators \u2014 across the state, who argued the pay increase came amid widespread layoffs, tuition increases and a\u00a0$2.3 billion budget shortfall.<\/p>\n

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Sandeen\u2019s departure also comes at a pivotal moment for Cal State East Bay, which has been trying to rebuild enrollment, improve graduation and retention rates and generate new revenue beyond state funding and tuition.<\/p>\n

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In a statement Wednesday, CSU Chancellor Garc\u00eda praised Sandeen for her leadership and work to strengthen CSU East Bay.<\/p>\n

She credited Sandeen with strengthening the school\u2019s academics and creating new programs \u2014 including civil engineering and speech-language pathology \u2014 and career pathways.<\/p>\n

She also praised Sandeen for her \u201cinstrumental role\u201d in collaborating with the city of Hayward to \u201cfoster a college-going culture in marginalized communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder her leadership, Cal State East Bay has strengthened enrollment, elevated its brand identity, revitalized campus pride and advanced a clearer sense of the university\u2019s distinctive role in the East Bay region and beyond,\u201d Garc\u00eda said. \u201cPresident Sandeen will leave Cal State East Bay stronger, more connected to its community and better positioned for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

CSU officials said the system will soon launch a national search for Sandeen\u2019s successor. Under university policy, the chair of the CSU Board of Trustees and the chancellor will select a committee comprised of campus and community stakeholders to lead the search.<\/p>\n

Sandeen is a two-time CSU graduate, earning degrees from the Humboldt and San Francisco campuses with degrees in speech pathology and broadcast communication.<\/p>\n

She grew up in Oakland and San Leandro, and has served as chancellor of University of Alaska Anchorage and chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and Extension. She has also been a member of the faculty at Santa Clara University, San Jos\u00e9 State University, the University of Utah, Stanford University and San Francisco State University.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a first-generation college graduate, born and raised in the East Bay\u2014and a double CSU alum\u2014it has been the honor of a lifetime to bring the experience I gained throughout my career right back home where I got my start,\u201d Sandeen said.<\/p>\n

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Cal State East Bay President Cathy Sandeen announced Wednesday that she will step down at the end of the year \u2014 adding another leadership vacancy to a California State University system already navigating presidential turnover, budget pressure and criticism over executive pay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAnother Cal State University president to depart as system faces multiple vacancies for top jobs - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=73\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Another Cal State University president to depart as system faces multiple vacancies for top jobs - 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