SF State alumna named president at Cal State East Bay

The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees has appointed San Francisco State University alumna and former faculty member Cathy A. Sandeen (M.A., ’81) to serve as president of California State University, East Bay.

“I am thrilled to return to the Bay Area to work alongside Cal State East Bay’s gifted faculty and staff to further the academic achievement of this wonderfully diverse group of students attending the Hayward and Concord campuses,” said Sandeen. “My own previous experiences and future aspirations closely match Cal State East Bay’s values, and the university-wide commitments to communities of color and sustainability are particularly relevant in this time. I embrace those commitments and will work to further the university’s leadership in these critically important areas.”

Sandeen earned a master’s degree in Broadcast Communication from San Francisco State in 1981 and taught courses in communication, mass communication, new communication technology, radio production and video production at the University from 1981 to 1989.

“I am excited to welcome a Gator back to the CSU and the Bay Area,” said SF State President Lynn Mahoney. “I look forward to working with President Sandeen to provide opportunity and access to an education that will lift our students and our communities in the years to come.”

Sandeen has served as chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage since 2018. She has experience in higher education during which she also served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin-Extension.

Born in Oakland, Sandeen also graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology from Humboldt State University. She earned an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Utah. Sandeen will assume her new role at Cal State East Bay on Jan. 4, 2021.