LONG BEACH – The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees has named Lisa A. Rossbacher as president of Humboldt State University (HSU). Rossbacher is currently serving as president at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga. and begins her new position in July.

“It is a wonderful and humbling honor to be chosen to serve the students, faculty and staff as well as the North Coast community as the next president of Humboldt State,” said Rossbacher. “The university’s unique programmatic offerings and beautiful setting draw a diverse group of students who are committed to improving themselves and the community through public service. HSU embraces sustainability and the environment like few other universities, and I look forward to engaging all groups to achieve the university mission.”

Rossbacher succeeds Rollin C. Richmond who is retiring at the end of the academic year after 12 years as president of HSU. Rossbacher will be the university’s seventh – and first woman – president in its 100-year history.

“Throughout her career, Dr. Rossbacher has demonstrated a focus on student success and she leads through consensus building and shared governance. She is a noted scholar and teacher, and as a current university president she brings a wealth of innovative administrative experience necessary to lead at the highest level," said CSU Trustee Larry Norton, chair of the presidential search committee. “Lisa’s broad experience as an educator, scholar and academic leader and her passion for education are qualities that will serve her and HSU well.”

HSU marks a return to the CSU for Rossbacher who previously served as a professor of geological sciences (1984-1993), as well as the associate vice president of Academic Affairs at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (1987-1993).

Prior to her service at Southern Polytechnic, Rossbacher served as dean of the college at Dickinson College (1995-98) and vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the faculty at Whittier College (1993-95).

Rossbacher earned a Ph.D. in geological sciences from Princeton University, master’s degrees in geological sciences from Princeton University and the State University of New York at Binghamton, and a bachelor’s in geology from Dickinson College.

From the Southern Polytechnic State University website:

Lisa A. Rossbacher became the president of Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, GA in 1998. She graduated from Dickinson College (Geology, summa cum laude), received masters degrees from the State University of New York at Binghamton and Princeton University, and earned her Ph.D. (Geological and Geophysical Sciences) at Princeton University. She has worked for the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, a geothermal exploration company, and National Public Radio, in addition to serving as a faculty member and administrator at California State Polytechnic University – Pomona, Whittier College, and Dickinson College. She was the first woman geologist to become a university president in North America. Her bimonthly column has appeared in the magazine Geotimes (renamed Earth in 2008) since 1988, and she has authored books on geology, science, and the media. Her research interests focus on the role of water and water ice on the planet Mars. In 1984, she was a finalist in NASA’s astronaut selection process. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as an undergraduate and to the status of Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2001; she was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of America in 2010. Dr. Rossbacher was the 2009 Chairwoman of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and currently holds the position of Past Chair. She is active in the Marietta Kiwanis and a board member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. She has served on the American Council on Education's Commission on Women, and she is currently on the State Network Executive Board with ACE's Office of Women in Higher Education. She is also a trustee of the Geological Society of America Foundation.