Cal State Long Beach President Honored with Award

President (CSULB) F. King Alexander has been chosen as the winner of the "Robert C. Maxson President of the Year Award" by the California State Student Association (CSSA) for a second time.

Alexander was officially announced as the recepient by the CSSA on Wednesday morning during a California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees meeting at the in Long Beach.

In 2010, Alexander also received the award, which is given to one president each year by the CSSA in recognition of leadership demonstrating dedication toin shared governance and support of student issues on a state level.

Founded in 1959, the CSSA is considered to be the voice of more than 425, 000 CSU students from 23 campuses ranging from.

 “I am both honored and humbled to receive this award from the CSU system’s student leadership.  I can’t imagine receiving any greater honor than to be recognized by all CSU students,” Alexander said in a statement. 

“The California State Student Association has worked with me on many very important state and federal issues over the past year, and it has made a difference for our students.  I look forward to continue working with them as we tackle other important higher education issues both here and in Washington, D.C,” he said.

 evidenced by the support he garners among all stakeholders of the CSULB campus community,” Nevin pointed out.  “But popularity is not what informed CSSA’s decision to recognize him this year. The recognition comes after several years of President Alexander supporting CSSA’s efforts to participate in federal advocacy.

Alexander was nominated by a representative from Sonoma State University and was one of 10 nominees statewide vying for the 2011-12 Maxson Award, said CSSA Executive Director Miles Nevin. Calling him a "popular university president," Nevin said the reason he was chosen wasn't for his popularity, but rather for his federal advocacy.

 “From removing big banks from profiting off student loan defaults, to protecting the Pell grant program, CSSA has worked closely with President Alexander to effectively communicate with our congress people and Department of Education leaders,” Nevin said in a statement.  “At a time when local legislators are ignoring the needs of public college students, it is crucial that CSU students maintain a strong presence in Washington, DC.  President Alexander has been pivotal in assisting us in maintaining such a presence.”

In November of 2005, Alexander became the sixth president of CSULB, which is the second largest university in the CSU system and the third largest in California, as well as one the largest universities in the country. Previous to CSULB, Alexander was the president of Murray State University in Kentucky from 2001-2005.

Alexander received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin--Madison in higher education finance and public policy, a master’s of science degree from Oxford University (England) in comparative education policy, and a bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University in political science, according to a statement.

Alexander's research on university revenue and expenditure patterns has been featured in a variety of publications, including The Economist, New York Times and Christian Science Monitor. He has also lent his expertise on domestic and international higher education finance and public policy to contribute to the development of Congressional legislation advancing the “net tuition concept” to improve public accountability, and federal policies and funding of higher education.