After a national search that resulted in an outstanding pool of candidates, California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has appointed William Franklin as its new vice president for the Division of Student Affairs.
In his new role, Franklin leads a team responsible for a broad range of student support services and related programs, including: student outreach and incoming student programs; career development; student life; student leadership and multicultural development; admissions and records; financial aid and athletics; and student services available to those with disabilities, who are military veterans, conduct issues, as well as health and psychological services.
“I am confident I will not be able to amply express how honored I am to join President Hagan’s leadership team and to be chosen to serve students as the next vice president for Student Affairs,” said Franklin. “This is a tremendous opportunity and a significant honor for my family. CSU Dominguez Hills is an extraordinary campus with exceptional faculty, staff and students. I look forward to helping the campus usher in new and exciting changes to the Division of Student Affairs.”
Franklin was appointed interim vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at CSUDH in July 2014. As interim VP, he served as chief adviser to the president on student affairs and enrollment management matters, while managing the division’s budget of approximately $10 million.
“Dr. Franklin brings to his new position the personal and administrative leadership, as well as the student advocacy our students deserve,” said CSUDH President Willie J. Hagan. “William has shown a genuine commitment to excellence in student services and programs and to collaboration across the campus, which will serve him well in his expanded and demanding role as vice president for Student Affairs.”
In January 2015, for his record of cultivating existing and developing new comprehensive programs for underserved students, Franklin received the Wang Family Excellence Award. Established through a gift from California State University (CSU) Trustee Emeritus Stanley T. Wang and administered through the CSU Foundation, the prestigious award recognizes those who have “distinguished themselves by exemplary contributions and achievements.”
Looking Back
Franklin arrived at CSUDH in 2007 as director of the Education Opportunity Program (EOP) and the federal TRIO programs. The TRIO grant program provides a variety of services for individuals from first-generation and disadvantaged backgrounds, while the EOP helps meet the needs of students who demonstrate the aptitude to succeed at a university but may not meet admission requirements.
Two years later, Franklin’s success as director of EOP and TRIO paved the way for a new appointment as associate vice president (AVP) of Student Success Services. In that role he led divisional planning and policy formulation, and collaborated with the broader campus community and local communities on issues related to educational equity, access, student learning, assessment, retention and graduation.
As AVP, Franklin also spearheaded the launch and directed the development of programs supporting the academic achievement of underrepresented students, including the Encounter to Excellence (ETE) program, Gear Up, Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science to help strengthen middle and high school students’ academic readiness for higher learning. Last year, CSUDH’s ETE Bridge Program received the 2014 Promising Practices Award from the Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education association.
Franklin also launched the Male Success Alliance (MSA) on campus, an innovative high school completion and college access and graduation program that provides academic support, mentoring, professional development and civic engagement for male students of color at CSUDH. The program and its MSA student mentors reach more than 650 students annually in low-performing high schools to provide guidance and camaraderie for at-risk boys.
Prior to becoming an administrator, Franklin taught at CSU Monterey Bay, CSU Los Angeles, and at Pacific Oaks College.
Franklin earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University in psychological studies in education with an emphasis in child and adolescent development, and a minor in social policy for children and youth. He is also an alumnus CSU Northridge, where he earned both a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in educational psychology.
