University President Leads Parade

Gordon Serves as Grand Marshal for Black History Month Parade

January 29, 2008
by Mimi Ko Cruz

Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon is this year’s grand marshal for the Feb. 2 Orange County Black History Month Parade in Santa Ana.

Kicking off at 10 a.m., the parade begins at 17th and Broadway, continuing down Broadway to Civic Center Drive West and ending at Flower Street, where a cultural fair, featuring inventions by African Americans, will take place. The event is free and the public is encouraged to line the parade route.

“Dr. Gordon is a giant in higher education, and that’s why he is our grand marshal,” said Alberta Christy, the event’s organizer.

During Gordon’s 17-year tenure 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 for master’s degrees.  Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education ranks Cal State Fullerton second in California and sixth in the nation in its listing of the top 100 colleges and universities awarding bachelor’s degrees to Latinos. And, Diverse Issues in Higher Education ranks CSUF seventh in the nation in terms of baccalaureate degrees awarded to minority students.

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

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

His many awards include the 1999 César Chavez Community Service Award from the Hispanic Bar Association or Orange County, the 1998 Manager of the Year Award from the Orange County Chapter of the Society of Advancement of Management and the 1998 Orange County NCAACP Citizens of Distinction Award.

For more information about the Orange County Black History and Cultural Faire, visit www.ocblackhistoryparade.com.