Dr. Alexander Gonzalez has served more than three decades as a professor and education leader, including serving as president of California State University, Sacramento, since 2003. As the first person in his family to graduate from college, Dr. Gonzalez has devoted his career to ensuring greater opportunities for students. He grew up in East Los Angeles with six siblings, graduating from high school at a time when students did not have the same options for higher education that they have today. Dr. Gonzalez enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at age 17, served four years and then used the G.I. Bill to graduate from Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. He graduated with honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He later earned a master’s in psychology and doctorate from the University of California, Santa Cruz, before serving as a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University. His experience includes six years as president of California State University, San Marcos, and 18 years at Fresno State, where he was a faculty member and chair of the Psychology Department before becoming the university’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. At Sacramento State, Dr. Gonzalez implemented his Destination 2010 initiative to transform the campus into a premier metropolitan university. The bold initiative seeks to make Sacramento State a campus of choice for students in the Sacramento region and beyond. Following his belief that universities and communities must work together to
improve lives and opportunities, Dr. Gonzalez serves on the Sutter Health Board of Directors and the Pomona College Board of Trustees. He previously served on the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and the Valley Vision Board of Directors. His service on several boards and commissions includes six years as a commissioner for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the accrediting agency for higher education institutions in the western United States. He also served as chair of the Governing Board of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. His commitment to the California State University system includes serving on a work group that reviewed and recommended corrective action on remedial education, and, more recently, as a member of a committee of presidents considering policy on enrollment management, the CSU’s Technology Steering Committee, and the Institute for Teaching and Learning. Dr. Gonzalez is Sacramento State’s 11th president. His wife, Gloria, is also a graduate of the CSU. They have two sons.
Dr. Terry Wanless’ eight-year tenure as Sacramento State’s Director of Athletics has seen growth unparalleled in the school’s 19-year Division I history. His vision of broad success in the department has come to fruition over the last four years where the Hornets have combined to win 26 conference championships. That includes an unprecedented eight conference titles during both the 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years. In addition, the program has claimed three straight Big Sky Conference Women’s All-Sports Trophies. In fact, of the 347 Div. I athletics programs, SI.com ranked Sacramento State as the 36th best athletics program during the 2007-08 academic year. This past year (2009-10), the program finished 132nd in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings, the second highest ranked team in the Big Sky Conference. The 2008-09 West Region Athletic Director of the Year for the Football Championship Subdivision, Wanless has overseen significant facility enhancement to the athletic facilities. The biggest change came during the spring of 2008 with the opening of the Broad Fieldhouse, which serves as the home to Hornet football and track and field, as well as athletic training and strength and conditioning. The Eli and Edythe Broad Fieldhouse was the first step of an elaborate plan that began with the passing of a referendum by the Sacramento State student body. That vote also led to the creation of a recreation and wellness center which will benefit the entire student body and open in September of 2010. Wanless has served on numerous NCAA committees, and recently completed a term as a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision selection committee and the Div. I Football Issues Committee. Previously, he was a member of the NCAA Football rules committee and the NCAA Peer Review committee. Wanless has been a visible member of the Sacramento State athletics family, constantly representing the University and department at public outings and speaking engagements. His commitment to the student-athlete has also been clear as both he and his wife, Joanne, attend the majority of Hornet home athletic events and support several teams on the road. His leadership and academic support have been evident to the student-athletes in other ways as well. The department’s Life Skills Program has seen rapid growth, significantly increasing the number of summer and fifth-year scholarships available to Hornet student-athletes. The Life Skills program has also launched the program’s first computer lab and offers Hornet student-athletes tutoring as well as academic counseling.
Over the last eight years, Sacramento State student-athletes have posted over 2,200 term GPAs of 3.0 or above. At the conclusion of the 2010 spring semester, Hornet student-athletes combined for an overall GPA of 2.98, which is the highest mark since the program joined the Div. I ranks in 199192. His efforts in restoring the department’s booster club structure as well as aggressively improving the University’s collegiate licensing program, while not readily visible, are projects that have, and will continue to enhance the program’s financial footing in years to come. Athletically, the Hornets have also seen continued growth and success on the field of play. During his eight years at Sacramento State, 25 teams and 145 individuals have advanced to NCAA postseason competition. Wanless’ efforts to put the Hornets on the map have been instrumental in helping make Sacramento State the unofficial “home of NCAA Championships”. During his eight years of leadership, Sacramento State has served as host to seven NCAA championships (four track, two rowing, one volleyball) as well as the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. Prior to Sacramento State, Wanless served as athletics director at the University of North Dakota from 1990-1999, guiding the program to one of its most successful decades in school history. During that time, North Dakota enjoyed strong competitive success, winning four NCAA national championships and 36 conference titles. Additionally, 25 other teams finished second in their respective conferences. Before his position at North Dakota, Wanless was director of intercollegiate athletics at Western Carolina for four years and held a variety of positions, including director of intercollegiate athletics, at Towson University in Maryland. Wanless earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Black Hills State, a master’s degree in physical education from Northern Illinois and a doctorate in athletics administration from Temple. He and his wife, Joanne, are the parents of two children. Their daughter, Heather, and her husband, Chad Collins, reside in Lexington, Ky., with their daughters Hadley and Leah, and son Jack. Their son Troy, and his wife, Jesi, live in Minneapolis with their daughters Elli and Scarlett.