CSUMB's Eduardo Ochoa here to stay

Eduardo Ochoa, interim president of Cal State Monterey Bay, will be interim no more.

The California State University Board of Trustees today appointed Ochoa as the permanent president of CSUMB, effective immediately. Ochoa has held the position on an interim basis since July 2012.

“I am honored by the action taken by the Board of Trustees in making permanent my appointment as president of Cal State Monterey Bay," Ochoa said in a statement. “Since arriving in July, I have been most impressed with the people I have met on campus and in the community. I believe this university is poised for great things, and I look forward to continuing to serve as its president.”

Ochoa returned to the CSU after serving from 2010 to 2012 in the Obama Administration as the U.S. assistant secretary for postsecondary education – advising the secretary on higher education issues, administering more than 60 programs and overseeing financial aid policy and accreditation.

“President Ochoa brought to Monterey Bay his unique blend of national expertise and a homegrown connection to the university mission,” said CSU Board of Trustees chair Bob Linscheid. “He has connected with students and faculty to move the campus forward on its core values of diversity, sustainability and community service.”

Ochoa grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before moving to Portland, Ore., with his family while in high school. He has earned degrees in physics, nuclear science and economics from Reed College, Columbia University and the New School for Social Research, respectively. His plans to return to work in his native Argentina were sidetracked by a military coup.

He refocused his energy in California, teaching at Fresno State as well as at California State University, Los Angeles, where he was a full professor and chair of the economics and statistics department. He also led the university’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, and served as acting dean of its School of Business and Economics.

In 1997, Ochoa was hired as the dean of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Business Administration, where he served for six years. This was followed by seven years as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University.