Dr. Willie J. Hagan will be formally installed as the 10th president of California State University, Dominguez Hills during an investiture ceremony on Friday, May 2, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on the North Lawn of campus.
Steeped in academic traditions and pomp and circumstance, the investiture ceremony will feature a formal procession of visiting delegates from higher education institutions across the state and country, California State University Board of Trustee members, along with CSU Dominguez Hills emeriti presidents, administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the university.
During the ceremony, CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White will formally install Hagan as the university’s president and present him with the university’s ceremonial chain, which includes medallions of each president who has served CSU Dominguez Hills. Recently retired U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter will give the keynote address, and Hagan will deliver his presidential address.
Under an inauguration theme, “California State University, Dominguez Hills: America Happens Here,” the ceremony culminates a week of inauguration activities to highlight student academic success and the university’s contributions to the community.
The inauguration theme reflects CSU Dominguez Hills as a conduit between the reality of today’s America and the vision put forth by the state in the California Master Plan for Higher Education. In 1960 CSU Dominguez Hills was deliberately placed in Carson to serve as the intersection of promise and hope for a Los Angeles community in crisis. Since then, CSU Dominguez Hills has continued to be a place where pride and purpose meet, where upward mobility begins, where public policy is created, diversity celebrated, and where a vision articulated by the country’s founding fathers more than 200 years ago is made real for a new generation through unprecedented access to affordable, quality higher education.
Hagan was first appointment interim president of CSU Dominguez Hills in June 2012. With strong support of faculty and staff, White announced Hagan’s permanent appointment in May 2013.
Prior to coming to CSU Dominguez Hills, Hagan was interim president of CSU Fullerton, where he had been employed since 1996 in various administrative roles, including vice president of administration and finance and chief financial officer, and interim vice president for university advancement. Before joining CSU Fullerton, Hagan served as associate vice president for administration at the University of Connecticut, and as a lobbyist for the University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education. Hagan holds a doctorate in psychology from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Led by presenting sponsor LA Galaxy major sponsors of the inauguration include: president’s sponsors The Carson Companies, Follett Higher Education Group, Shell, Southern California Edison, Tesoro, and Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.; platinum sponsors Code Four, CSUDH Alumni Association, Kaiser Permanente, and Watson Land Company; gold sponsors American Honda Motor Co., Inc., and Northrop Grumman; silver sponsors California Water Service Company, Richoh, and California Board of Equalization Chair, the Hon. Jerome Horton; and bronze sponsors First Class Vending Inc., Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Metropolitan West Capital Management LLC, Pepsi Bottling Co., Providence Little Company of Mary, Gil and Shirley Smith, and Univision 34 Los Angeles.
For more information, visit www.csudh.edu/inauguration.
Inauguration Week Schedule of Events
The following is a schedule of Inauguration Week events open to the public. All events are in the Loker Student Union Ballroom on campus unless otherwise indicated:
Saturday, April 26
8 a.m. to 4 p.m., CSUDH Day of Service – Students, faculty, staff and community members will come together to lend their time on service projects on campus at University Housing and the Child Development Center, and in the community at Stevenson Park in Carson, Rancho Dominguez Adobe Museum, and Century Villages at Cabrillo and Elizabeth Ann Seton Residence in Long Beach.
Monday, April 28
11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Community Engagement Symposium – Showcasing the scholarly and creative activities of students, faculty and community engaged with one another.
4-5 p.m., Inauguration Lecture Series featuring Sergio C. Garcia, JD – Sergio Garcia, JD, the first undocumented immigrant to be granted a California license to practice law per a California Supreme Court motion on Jan. 2, 2014, will give a lecture on his journey to achieving the American dream.
Tuesday, April 29
9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Student and Faculty Research Symposium – Showcasing the 10 winning teams from CSUDH Student Research Day presenting their research one more time to campus before heading to the systemwide CSU Research Competition
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Inauguration Lecture Series featuring Dr. Jerry Moore – Anthropology Professor Jerry Moore has spent 30 years digging into people’s homes searching for clues to help unravel a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human. He will talk about his award-winning book “The Prehistory of Home” and the uniquely human concept of home.
Wednesday, April 30
8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Women in STEM Conference – The conference brings together well-known female practitioners in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to address, assess, and make recommendations on the current state of women in the sciences. Keynote speaker is Dr. Wanda Austin, president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation.
Friday, May 2
2 p.m., North Lawn, Investiture Ceremony– The investiture of Dr. Willie J. Hagan as the 10th president of CSU Dominguez Hills.
4 p.m., Fifth Floor, Library, Reception Naming the Donald R. and Beverly J. Gerth Archives and Special Collection – In recognition of former CSUDH President Gerth’s generosity and long service to the California State University, CSU Dominguez Hills and archives through the CSU System.
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About CSU Dominguez Hills — With a student population of approximately 14,000, many who are first in their families to attend college, CSU Dominguez Hills provides high quality academic programs to students who aspire to succeed and thrive in a complex, global society. A leader in fostering a college-focused culture in the urban communities it serves, the university offers a proven path to opportunity and social equity and is a national laboratory and model for student access and success. For more information, visit www.csudh.edu.
