Gordon Leads HACU

CSUF President Serves as Chairman of the Board

October 17, 2008

By Mimi Ko Cruz

President Milton A. Gordon, fourth from left, receives congratulations on being named the new chairman of the HACU Board at the organization's annual conference in Denver. Joining him are, from left, Pamela Hillman, vice president for university advancement; Robert Palmer, vice president for student affairs; his wife, Margaret Faulwell Gordon, dean of the College of Extended and International Education and professor of anthropology at Cal State Dominguez Hills; Silas H. Abrego, associate vice president for student affairs; and Dagoberto Fuentes, chair and emeritus professor of the Chicana and Chicano studies. Photo by Mimi Ko Cruz

Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon has been elected to head the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

Gordon will serve as chairman of the board of HACU, a national organization that represents more than 450 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the United States, Puerto Rico, Latin America, Spain and Portugal.

“It’s very humbling to become chairman of this organization,” Gordon said. “While we’ve made a lot of progress, we have a long way to go in terms of creating more support services and programs for our students. I will make seeking additional funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions a priority.”

Established in 1986, HACU represents Hispanic-Serving Institutions where Latinos constitute at least 25 percent of the student population.

Latinos constitute 28 percent of Cal State Fullerton's student population of more than 36,000. Since 2004, Cal State Fullerton has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

President Milton A. Gordon presides as the new chairman of the board of HACU at the Oct. 10-13 conference in Denver. Photo by Mimi Ko Cruz

During Gordon’s 17 years as president of Cal State Fullerton, the university has reached the highest enrollment of all the 23 California State University campuses, and U.S. News & World Report ranks it among the nation’s top 10 public universities-master’s institutions in the West.

Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education ranks Cal State Fullerton first in California and fifth in the nation in its listing of the top 100 colleges and universities awarding bachelor’s degrees to Latinos. In addition, Diverse Issues in Higher Education ranks CSUF seventh in the nation for bachelor’s degrees awarded to minority students.

Born in Chicago in 1935, Gordon earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education from Xavier University, his master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Detroit and his doctorate in mathematics from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Before joining CSUF, Gordon was vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University. He also had served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Chicago State University and associate professor of mathematics at Loyola University of Chicago.

His many honors include the Chief Executive Officer Leadership Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, Cesar Chavez Community Service Award from the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County, Manager of the Year Award from the Orange County Chapter of the Society of Advancement of Management and Orange County NAACP Citizens of Distinction Award.