Jane Close Conoley has already traded the 5,200 square foot Miller House in Park Estates — the traditional home for Cal State Long Beach’s top administrator — for a 1,300 square foot space in a shared home with her son, two of her five grandchildren, a puppy and a gaggle of rabbits in San Francisco’s Richmond district.
After stepping down in June as president of CSULB, the second largest CSU in California, Close Conoley will remain a consultant to help with the transition for at least six months. The California State University Board of Trustees is expected to announce her replacement as soon as Monday when it convenes in Long Beach.
The new president will be tasked with navigating a fraught time for higher education as the Trump Administration scrutinizes research grants, aid for students and funding intended to promote diversity and inclusion.
Cal State Long Beach has historically been known as a teaching school, but it still receives $60 million to $80 million a year in research funding, about $7 million of which has already been eliminated.
The reductions won’t generally impact faculty, whose salaries are paid by the state. But it will impact hundreds of staff members needed to manage grants, Conoley said.
“So far we have not had to lay people off,” she said — though difficult decisions await the incoming president.
Close Conoley, 78, said she was torn about leaving at such a tenuous time, “not because I’m particularly talented, but because we are looking at some watershed moments ahead of us.”
The new administration has said it plans to eliminate the Department of Education, which oversees critical buckets of higher education funding and sets policy and standards for myriad programs.
Ahead of next week’s announcement, I asked Conoley about her eventful 11-year tenure in Long Beach as she steps into retirement and adjusts (eventually) to a slower pace.
Her time here was stressful almost from the start: A year after her arrival in 2014, design student Nohemi Gonzalez was killed in a terrorist attack while studying in Paris — a tragedy that resulted in international headlines and years-long legal battles. The ensuing years included a pandemic that shut down in-person instruction for 18 months, scrutiny over the university’s treatment of Native land, campus protests and accusations of retaliation against professors who have urged the college to stand up for Palestine.
Challenges
When Close Conoley first moved to California after accepting a job at UC Santa Barbara, she said she sold her home in Texas for about $350,000 and searched for what was available at a comparable price. The only home that came up was a double-wide trailer.
The outgoing president said the region’s housing affordability crisis has been particularly vexing, with few options to provide relief for students, staff and faculty — an issue she described as an “impending crisis” that has undoubtedly affected enrollment and recruitment.
Not long after her arrival in 2014, student homelessness was already rising across California. CSULB launched a Basic Needs Program to address housing shortages, food insecurity and other emergencies. Close Conoley played a significant role in expanding the program to include the Beach Pantry and Rapid Rehousing, and, by 2018, the program had become one of the most comprehensive in the CSU system.
The university also expanded on-campus housing, breaking ground on a new dorm last year that will add 424 beds. But Close Conoley said about 1,500 students remain on the waiting list for on-campus housing, which has become more appealing with fewer options around the city.
Successes
Close Conoley cited the university’s improved four-year graduation rate as among the biggest successes of her time. Many factors play a role in how fast students get through school, but her aim was to ensure “we get out of the way” by having enough courses available and support services.
More than three-quarters of all students now graduate in four years, among the highest in the state.
She is also proud of the university’s academic accomplishments, including the successes of the Trivia Team, Beach Forensics, the Moot Court in which students compete in mock legal proceedings, and a campus choir that has been recognized internationally. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education also elevated the university to the highest research status in 2022, and the university now offers five doctoral degrees, the newest of which will be offered in public health this fall.
“Sometimes students feel like this isn’t Stanford, but look around,” Close Conoley said. “I’m proud of promoting that, and building relationships with the city, creating special events for students, and building fabulous centers and institutes.”
Advice for the next president?
Close Conoley says she will learn who the next president is along with the public. A CSU, campus and community search committee has been leading the effort, with a decision expected next week.
Her advice for whoever takes the helm is to trust the team.
“We have some excellent leadership,” she said of CSULB. “Take time to learn what’s going on, and use the team around you.”
Navigating the next chapter of the university will necessitate a strong administration to speak out when called for, and do the work behind the scenes to ensure the safety and success of students, she said.
Will she miss Long Beach?
Close Conoley, a native New Yorker who has spent time all over the country in her 50-year academic career, said she found a real home in Long Beach.
She has been involved in a number of civic causes, including chairing the city’s Everyone Home initiative around the city’s housing shortage, and has been honored by numerous organizations. Mayor Rex Richardson said at an event in May that she could expect to be awarded a key to the city.
It was hard to leave the “smart, funny and creative” people here for the Bay Area, but she plans to return often.
“Long Beach has such a culture of acceptance and tolerance and diversity,” she said. “The people here are so welcoming and involved with the campus.”
She said she knows from experience, however, that no one is irreplaceable.
“All the places I’ve left over the years are still doing just fine,” she said, adding she’ll be watching with excitement to see what the future holds for Long Beach.