[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 220 (Monday, December 28, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1212-E1213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE CAREER OF DR. JOSEPH I. CASTRO

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 28, 2020

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a great leader 
and friend, Dr. Joseph I. Castro, President of California State 
University, Fresno (Fresno State) for being appointed as the eighth 
chancellor to lead the California State University System.
  Dr. Castro was born in the city of Hanford in the San Joaquin Valley 
of California. He is a grandson of immigrants and farmworkers from 
Mexico, son of a single mother and the first in his family to graduate 
from a four-year institution. He earned his bachelor's degree in 
Political Science and a master's in public policy from the University 
of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in higher education policy and 
leadership from Stanford University.
  For 23 years, Dr. Castro has worked in the University of California 
system. He was Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Affairs at 
University of California San Francisco. Castro led UCSF programs that 
specialized in academic and health care needs of its talented students. 
He was part of the founding staff at University of California, Merced 
and held key leadership positions at three other UC campuses including 
Berkeley, Davis and Santa Barbara.
  Mr. Castro currently serves as the President of the California State 
University, Fresno since 2013. Under his leadership, the university has 
become a national leader in recruiting, supporting and graduating 
students from diverse backgrounds. The university has also received 
national recognition from various publications, such as the Washington 
Monthly and U.S. News and World Report.
  Dr. Castro's leadership and hard work has been recognized by various 
organizations. He was named CSU President of the Year by the California 
State Student Association, City of Fresno District 4 Man of the Year 
and a recipient of the Ohtli award, the highest honor

[[Page E1213]]

granted by the Government of Mexico to leaders in the United States.
  Dr. Castro has made a difference in the lives of many students at 
Fresno State and across California. He has paved the way for many 
students and has inspired others to make a difference in higher 
education and in their communities. Dr. Castro is the first California 
native and first Mexican-American to be appointed to oversee the 23-
campus university system, which is the largest in the nation. He will 
begin his duties as chancellor on Jan. 4, 2021.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
Chancellor-Select, Dr. Joseph I. Castro. We also congratulate his 
family including his wife, Mary and three children, Isaac, Lauren and 
Jess. Although his presence will be missed at Fresno State, I look 
forward to seeing the success of the CSU system under his leadership.