Tomás D. Morales
President
California State University, San Bernardino
Tomás D. Morales was selected as the president of California State University, San Bernardino in May 2012. He is the university’s fourth president since it opened in 1965. Previously, Morales was president of the College of Staten Island, The City University of New York (CUNY), since 2007.
A staunch advocate of this university’s commitment to student success, he has championed the importance of access to higher education and preparing young people for collegiate success throughout his extensive career as a dedicated educational leader.
During his tenure at CSUSB, Morales has overseen sustained growth in overall enrollment, the number of degrees awarded, community engagement and university fundraising. The face of the institution is also expanding with its five-year strategic plan well underway, including the new Coyote Village residence hall and Coyote Commons dining hall, the largest single construction project in university history.
From 2001 to 2007, Morales served in various capacities at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, including Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs, and professor of education. Prior to joining Pomona, Morales was Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at The City College of New York/CUNY from 1994 to 2001. He provided strategic leadership, restructured the Student Services Corporation, and implemented a new student-centered model for the division of Student Affairs. From 1992 to 1994, Morales was Assistant Dean of the School of Education at the State University of New York (SUNY), New Paltz.
He holds a B.A. in history from SUNY, New Paltz, and earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in educational administration and policy studies from SUNY, Albany. Having served as an educator and administrative leader in higher education for more than 40 years, he is one of the few higher education administrators in the United States who has held senior administrative positions at the three largest public university systems in the nation: The California State University, The State University of New York, and The City University of New York.
Morales is actively involved with numerous national organizations. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. He is a member of the Growing Inland Achievement Board and the Community Foundation Board. He is past chair of the Governing Board of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the national TIAA Hispanic Advisory Council. He has also served as chair and board member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities – co-chairing AASCU's National Task Force on College Readiness, as well as on the board of directors of the American Council on Education and its Commission on Racial and Ethnic Equity.
In May 2012, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from his alma mater SUNY, New Paltz, where he was the featured commencement speaker. In recognition for his service to education and his passion for the sport, the baseball field at the College of Staten Island was named in his honor as the Tomás D. Morales Baseball Field.
His lifelong dedication to improving the access and quality of public higher education has been recognized with numerous awards. They include the Ohtli Award, considered the highest honor bestowed by the government of Mexico to a non-citizen; the 2017 Public Servant Award from the Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches; the 2017 Legacy of Exemplary Service award from Liberia Del Pueblo for public service to the community; the Distinguished Leader in Education award from Education Update; the Lifetime Achievement Award in Education from the New York League of Puerto Rican Women, Inc.; the Latino Trendsetter Award at the United Nations; the IMAGEN Certificate Award from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; the Hispanic Leadership Award from the Boy Scouts of America; and has regularly been named to Latino Leaders Magazine’s 101 Most Influential Latino’s list.
Tomás and his wife Evy have been married for more than 45 years. They have three grown children and six grandchildren.