President Elliot Hirshman has served as the president of SDSU since 2011.

President Elliot Hirshman Ending Tenure at SDSU

President Hirshman has served SDSU for six years, and accepted a new job at Stevenson University.

By SDSU News Team

San Diego State University President Elliot Hirshman announced this morning that he has accepted the presidency of Stevenson University in Maryland. His last day at SDSU will be June 30. Hirshman has served as the president of SDSU since 2011.



“The last six years have been the most extraordinary period of my and Jeri’s professional lives,” Hirshman said. “The opportunity to work with the dedicated and talented students, faculty, staff, alumni and community supporters of San Diego State has inspired us, and it has been a privilege to contribute to the growth and development of this great university.”



During Hirshman’s time as SDSU’s eighth president, SDSU has raised its profile as a major public research university. SDSU ranks in the top 10 for students studying abroad and for ethnic and economic diversity; Forbes, Fortune and U.S. News & World Report all rank it in the top 25 for entrepreneurship; and the university has produced 85 Fulbright student scholars in the past decade. SDSU researchers bring in $130 million annually in external research funding.



The university is recognized nationally for increasing retention and graduation rates – rates that are nearly equal across ethnic and racial groups – and it has moved up 37 spots during Hirshman’s tenure in the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of America’s colleges.



“Elliot has made an incredible impact on San Diego State University,” said California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White. “His focus on academic excellence and on life-changing educational opportunities for students from all backgrounds has contributed to SDSU’s emergence as a top public research university.”



Under Hirshman’s leadership, SDSU has implemented an integrated budget and financial strategy, created a new strategic plan, raised more than $785 million in private philanthropy for scholarships and new initiatives, established and endowed the Susan and Stephen Weber Honors College and built and remodeled facilities across campus.



“Elliot has an ability to articulate the university’s vision and to bring in the entire community to become a part of its future. His legacy at SDSU will be felt for generations to come,” White said.



Chancellor White will visit the SDSU campus as soon as arrangements can be made in order to discuss with the university community the skills and experiences desirable for an interim presidential appointment. The CSU plans to conduct a national search for Hirshman’s successor.



Hirshman is a member of the NCAA Board of Directors and former chairman of the Mountain West Conference Board. He is president of the SDSU Research Foundation Board and a member of the university's Campanile Foundation Board. He also serves on the boards of the San Diego Economic Development Corporation and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.



Prior to Hirshman's appointment at SDSU, he served as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He also had been chief research officer at the George Washington University and chaired the Department of Psychology there and at the University of Colorado at Denver. He began his academic career, rising to the rank of full professor, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.



Hirshman earned his bachelor's degree summa cum laude in economics and mathematics from Yale and his master's degree and Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from UCLA. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association.



Hirshman is married to Jeri Hirshman. Their daughter, Wendy, graduated from Muhlenberg College and works for George Mason Mortgage, LLC. Their son, Nathan, is a student at the Duke University School of Medicine.