Framroze (Fram) Virjee has been named president of California State University, Fullerton, effective Jan. 1, 2018, for a term appointment through June 2019. The announcement was made today by California State University Chancellor Timothy White.

Virjee succeeds outgoing President Mildred García, who was recently appointed to serve as the next president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

“Cal State Fullerton is regionally powerful, and its nationally renowned diversity is woven throughout its fabric — from its student body, faculty and staff to the wide range of its academic offerings,” said Virjee. “I am very excited to be part of such a well-respected and recognized university. President García and her team have worked tirelessly to lay out a clear pathway for implementing the university’s strategic plan. I look forward to working with all members of the Cal State Fullerton community to further the campuswide culture of innovation that leads to more than 40,000 students having an opportunity to earn a Titan education.”

“Over the past 60 years, Cal State Fullerton has created a legacy of appointing presidents who are driven by and committed to equity, inclusion, access, academic excellence and student success,” said García. “Throughout Fram’s career — both in the private sector and in the CSU — he has demonstrated his passion for these Titan tenets, and I am confident his leadership will empower all faculty, staff and students to elevate the University to even greater success.”

Since January 2014, Virjee has served as executive vice chancellor, general counsel and secretary to the CSU Board of Trustees. Virjee and his staff oversee all legal services for the 23-campus CSU in areas as varied as human resources, First Amendment rights, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, health and safety, discrimination, Title IX and gender equity, and academic and student affairs.

“I am confident Fram will maintain the momentum gained under President García, as well as provide stability to the campus,” said White. “During my recent campus visit, various groups said they sought a leader who places the utmost importance on student success and who has experience working with a diverse set of stakeholders. They want a leader who is a strong communicator and collaborator, who values and promotes academic and student affairs, and works well within a shared governance environment. Fram excels in all of these areas. He has a long and distinguished history of championing education in California and through his current role, he is intimately aware of the challenges and opportunities facing the CSU.”

At the CSU, Virjee also served as the secretary and chief legal officer to the board, advising its members on such legal issues as open meeting laws, board rules and procedures and education code compliance. Over the past four years, he helped transform the CSU Office of General Counsel from a regulatory function to a division focused upon collaboration, service and the provision of solution-driven legal advice.

Prior to joining CSU, Virjee served as a partner in private practice for almost 30 years at O’Melveny & Myers, the oldest law firm in Los Angeles and one of the largest in the nation. At O’Melveny, Virjee specialized in labor and employment law, with an emphasis in representing educational institutions in the areas of collective bargaining, education code compliance, and discrimination and employment litigation.

Virjee has served as an adjunct professor for both the Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School of Management, as well as the Chapman University School of Law. He graduated summa cum laude, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He earned his J.D. cum laude from the University of California Hastings College of the Law.

The CSU will conduct a national search for the next permanent president of Cal State Fullerton beginning in fall 2018. An announcement about that appointment is expected sometime in the spring of 2019.