The Rosser Revolution

President James Rosser’s leadership at California State University,
Los Angeles is a testament that diversity and excellence are mutually reinforcing qualities  in an academic setting.

By Ronald Roach

LOS ANGELES
It’s not surprising that urban colleges and universities with large commuter populations are among the most racially and ethnically diverse of all U.S. campuses. But many of those campuses have

For more than 26 years, Dr. James Rosser has headed what many experts consider one of the most diverse campuses in the nation, the California State University, Los Angeles. Diversity at CSULA encompasses both the student body and the faculty and administration ranks. The university boasts a student breakdown of 52 percent Hispanic, 22 percent Asian-American/Pacific Islander, 16 percent White and 9 percent African-American, while the full-time faculty is now just under 40 percent non-White. In comparison, people of color comprised roughly 53 percent of the Los Angeles city population, according to 2000 U.S. Census data.

“I think perhaps the most significant accomplishment is the general acceptance here now that diversity and excellence must go hand in hand,” Rosser says of his tenure as CSULA’s sixth chief executive.

His time at the helm of the university has in large part been focused on proving that diversity and excellence are mutually reinforcing qualities in an academic setting. Rosser has aimed at leading CSULA, one of 23 CSU schools, into the ranks of the nation’s top-tier urban universities.
He gets high marks for his efforts from fellow college presidents with whom he has worked or has gotten to know over the years.