California State University Chancellor Mildred García received the Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence in Higher Education last month from the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association Institute, and students and staff at San José State have mixed views.
The award is named after former University of Notre Dame president, humanitarian and Catholic priest Theodore M. Hesburgh and given to those who embody his commitment to support higher education, according to a web page from the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association Institute.
García, who became the CSU chancellor in 2023, is the first Latina in the country to preside over a four-year public higher education learning system, according to a Feb. 12 press release from the CSU.
The same press release mentions a quote from Surya Kolluri, the head of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association Institute, explaining why García is the recipient of this award.
“The California State University is rated among the best higher education systems in the nation on affordability and for promoting social mobility and Chancellor García has played an enormous role in making that happen,” Kolluri said.
SJSU President Cynthia-Teniente Matson spoke highly of the chancellor and made it clear that García is deserving of the award.
“I know that Chancellor García has had a very distinguished career both as a faculty member (and) as an administrator,” Teniente-Matson said. “So I think that award and what it exemplifies aligns very much with her values.”
The values that the president listed included supporting first generation college graduates, supporting historically underrepresented minority students and ensuring every student has an opportunity to succeed and graduate.
García served as the president of Cal State Fullerton where she led the university to record improvements in graduation rates, according to a CSU webpage.
During her tenure as president of CSU Dominguez Hills, she increased freshmen retention and eliminated a structural deficit of $2.8 million, according to the same source.
“She does an extraordinary amount of work, representing the CSU in many forums,” Teniente-Matson said.
Also during her time at CSU Fullerton, out of 290 staff members hired, 52% were people of color according to an institutional report from the university.
While some people agree that she is deserving of this award, SJSU California Faculty Association (CFA) president Ray Buyco wants to see the chancellor give more money to support universities.
“You know, you figure if we’re having a budget crisis, since the chancellor's office is not actually educating students directly, maybe you would prioritize education,” Buyco said. “I'm not trying to indict the Chancellor here. I'm just saying these are tough decisions that I don't think have been made right.”
Buyco was involved in a statewide CFA strike in Jan. 2024 that was demanding fair wages for university workers, according to an article from San Jose Spotlight.
The CFA and the CSU management were able to come to a consensus where faculty received a 5% salary increase, according to the same source.
“Why not cut back some of the administrative bloat at the chancellor's office and get that money to student instruction,” Buyco said. “She won the award (and) good for her but she needs to go back to the Spirit of Reverend Hesburgh and ask herself whether (or not) she’s living up to these principles.”
Khangerel Ganzorig, a fourth-year biology student, feels that Chancellor García is undeserving of the award with one of the reasons being the implementation of the Time, Place and Manner policy, under her administration.
The policy, which was implemented in the 2024-25 academic year, is set in place to make sure that acts of protest do not infringe on university operations or others, according to a CSU web page.
“I think she needs to take a look back at the Time, Place and Manner policy and the other policies she has,” Ganzorig said. “There’s got to be some fundamental change with how we let the board represent students.”
As a student at SJSU, Ganzorig is experiencing the tuition increase firsthand.
While the decision to enact the multi-year plan came on Sept. 13, 2023, a few weeks prior to her inauguration according to a web page from the CSU, Ganzorig wished that the chancellor would give more attention to it.
“Just because it’s something that has been passed on that doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it or make your stance clear on it,” Ganzorig said. “So while she has not completely contributed to the passing of (the increase), it doesn’t help when you haven’t said anything (about it).”
