[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 201 (Monday, November 30, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7107-S7108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO TIMOTHY P. WHITE

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and 
pay tribute to the honorable service of Dr. Timothy P. White, who will 
be retiring as chancellor of the California State University, CSU.
  Chancellor Timothy P. White has served as the California State 
University's seventh chancellor since December 2012. His leadership of 
the Nation's largest and most diverse university system--23 campuses, 
482,000 students, 53,000 faculty and staff, and 3.8 million alumni--has 
been characterized by his heartfelt and unwavering dedication to the 
students.
  In fact, it was that commitment to student success that led 
Chancellor White in 2015 to launch the ``Graduation Initiative 2025,'' 
an ambitious systemwide effort to increase graduation rates and to 
eliminate equity and opportunity gaps between underserved students and 
their peers. The initiative has already resulted in record numbers of 
baccalaureate degrees earned.
  Further, Chancellor White has been a strong advocate for diversity 
and gender equity, ensuring campus leaders, faculty, and staff reflect 
the communities they serve. In July 2018, CSU achieved national 
recognition for having 12 female campus presidents--representing more 
than half of the CSU's campuses--quadrupling the number of female 
presidents from the time Chancellor White assumed office and far 
surpassing the national average of 30 percent female leadership at 
higher education institutions.
  A caring and forward-thinking leader, he has been committed to 
compassionate action on behalf of Dreamers and has spearheaded efforts 
to support title IX rights and to prevent sexual assault on campus. 
Chancellor White commissioned the first-ever study of homelessness and 
hunger among university students and has instituted innovative programs 
to help students meet their basic needs. He has also worked to ensure 
that the CSU shines as a leader on environmental sustainability and 
climate change education and policy.
  The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a difficult challenge for 
higher education, but Chancellor White has displayed bold leadership, 
delaying his

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planned retirement to ensure steady decision making that has not only 
allowed the CSU to sustain its high-quality instruction and operations 
but also helped the university to thrive, with record-setting numbers 
of degrees awarded in spring 2020 and the university's largest ever 
student body enrolled in the fall.
  A clarity of vision, a heartfelt and relentless focus on student 
success, and an emphasis on collaborative leadership, combined with a 
ready sense of humor and a warmth and generosity of spirit, have 
defined Chancellor White's tenure.
  I applaud Dr. White's lifetime of service to the betterment of our 
State and its students, and I wish him the best as he begins this next 
chapter of his life.

                          ____________________