Forget about the “interim” – California State University, Stanislaus Interim President Joeseph Sheley's appointment has been extended to permanent.
“I am honored to be named president of CSU Stanislaus by the Board of Trustees and Chancellor Timothy White, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to work with an exceptional institution of higher education,” Sheley said. “The commitment of our faculty and staff to our students is a source of pride to me, as is the Stanislaus region's faith in the university.”
The new CSU Stanislaus president had served as interim president of the campus since June 2012. His arrival was welcomed as a breath of fresh air, replacing much-maligned former CSU Stanislaus President Hamid Shirvani, who now runs the North Dakota State University system.
Shirvani's tenure was marked by faculty-administration strife, culminating in a vote of no confidence in Shirvani's leadership and a accreditor's requirement that the college improve communications before renewing the university's academic licensing. Allegations of fostering poor faculty-administration relationships have followed Shirvani to North Dakota, where state legislators have attempted to fire him after less than a year on the job.
Sheley's first year was spent almost entirely on building bridges, undoing the lingering effects of Shirvani's rule.
He worked to repair the relationship between faculty and administration, restoring a sense of openness and collaboration.
And he worked to extend the reach of the University into the Turlock community and the state beyond. Sheley was a tireless cheerleader of the college's potential – and its present status as one of the jewels of the CSU system.
“The real and potential impact of region and institution – in partnership – on the future of California is almost beyond imagination,” Sheley said.
Sheley previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at CSU Sacramento. He also served as the dean of the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies, director of alumni relations, and executive vice president there.
Before joining CSU Sacramento, Sheley spent 21 years as a faculty member at Tulane University, where he chaired the Department of Sociology and headed the University Senate. He has published extensively in the field of criminology, particularly regarding the acquisition and use of firearms by juveniles.
