Hispanic Association Gives Top Honors To Cal State President
Cal State Fullerton President to Be Honored by
American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education
Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon next week will receive the highest honor bestowed by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education — the Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education Award.
The award will be presented at the organization’s annual conference, being held this year at the Costa Mesa Hilton March 4 and 5.
Gordon also will serve on a conference panel titled “It’s All About Math” with Cal State Fullerton alumna Judith Segura (B.S. mechanical engineering and physics ’94), the first Mexican-American woman to graduate from Stanford with a doctorate in mechanical engineering (she specialized in thermosciences); and David L. Pagni, professor of mathematics who created Cal State Fullerton’s Project MISS — a program geared to enhancing the math skills of 10th- and 11th-grade girls from Orange County and surrounding communities.
A member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Board of Directors, Gordon serves as chairman of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Governing Board.
HACU is a national organization that represents more than 450 colleges and universities and is committed to Hispanic higher education success in the United States, Puerto Rico, Latin America, Spain and Portugal.
During Gordon’s more than 19 years as president of Cal State Fullerton, the university reached the highest enrollment of all 23 California State University campuses, and U.S. News & World Report ranks it among the nation’s top 10 public universities-master’s institutions in the West.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education ranks Fullerton sixth in the nation in terms of baccalaureate degrees awarded to minority students, as reported in its June 2009 issue and based on data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education ranks Cal State Fullerton No. 2 in California and sixth in the nation among top colleges and universities awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics, as reported in its May 2009 edition and based on 2008 data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Gordon earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education from Xavier University, his master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Detroit and his doctorate in mathematics from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Before being appointed president at Cal State Fullerton, Gordon was vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University and professor of mathematics. He also served as dean of the College of the Arts and Sciences and professor of mathematics at Chicago State University, and director of the Afro-American Studies Program and associate professor of mathematics at Loyola University of Chicago.
Gordon’s many honors include: Chief Executive Officer Leadership Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, National Association of Student Personnel Administrator’s President’s Award, California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Chair’s Award, Education Partnership Award from the Orange County Business Council, Cesar Chavez Community Service Award from the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County, Manager of the Year Award from the Orange County Chapter of the Society of Advancement of Management, the National Conference for Community and Justice 2000 Humanitarian Award and the Education Award of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
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