Dr. Cathy Sandeen, who became president of Cal State East Bay on Jan. 4, will make Hayward Rotary one of her first community visits at the club meeting on Monday, March 8.
A native of the East Bay, President Sandeen was chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage from September 2018-December 2020, and chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and UW-Extension for four years. As VP for education attainment and innovation at the American Council on Education, she led ACE's nationwide effort to increase post-secondary educational attainment.
She also held leadership positions in the University of California system including at UCLA, Santa Cruz and San Francisco.
She graduated with a bachelor’s in speech pathology from Humboldt State, earned a master’s in broadcast communication from San Francisco State, an MBA from UCLA, and a doctorate in communication from the University of Utah. A prolific writer and speaker, she has published and presented widely on the issues surrounding educational innovation and nontraditional students.
While taking on the challenges of leading a university during a pandemic, she also sees opportunities such as reconnection with the City of Hayward after resolution last October of 11 years of legal disputes over campus growth.