Soraya M. Coley has only been on the job as CSUB’s new provost a little more than a month and she’s already comfortable in her new surroundings.

Coley, who replaced Jim George, who retired after 35 years at CSUB, began her job Aug. 1, coming from the National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare/Children and Family Futures in Irvine, where she was a senior research fellow. Prior to that she spent two years at Alliant International University which was preceded by 20 years on the faculty at CSU Fullerton. She is the first woman to serve as a vice president at CSUB.

“I have developed an attachment to the community in a very short time,” she said. “I’m very excited about being here to join with the president, the other administrators, faculty and staff to develop community partnerships focused on education. The community’s Vision 2020 plan lays out the hopes and aspirations of the community, and there’s a clear role for CSUB in that.”

That’s what CSUB President Horace Mitchell anticipated when he appointed Coley to the provost’s position, the No. 2 position on campus.

“I said at the beginning of the search process that this would be the most important appointment I make as president,” Mitchell said. “Dr. Coley brings a wealth of experience within the CSU as well as experience in the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs. She has the experience, vision and commitment to assist us in realizing our new CSUB vision.”

Coley earned her doctorate in social planning and policy from the Bryn Mawr College School of Social Work and Social Research in 1981. She received her Master’s of Social Work from Bryn Mawr in 1974, and earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1972.

Upon receiving her doctorate, she joined the faculty at CSU Fullerton in the Department of Human Services, and served as department chair from 1991 to 1993. She was an administrative fellow in CSU Fullerton’s Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs from 1994 to 1996, and served as dean of CSU Fullerton’s College of Human Development and Community Service from 1996 to 2001. CSU Fullerton accorded her emeritus status in 2001.

She left Fullerton to become provost and vice president for academic affairs at Alliant International University in San Francisco, where she oversaw Academic Affairs from 2001 to 2003 across seven locations in California and two international campuses in Mexico City and Nairobi, Kenya.

Coley has a long history of community and civic involvement. Among her many civic affiliations are the Bay Area Black United Fund Board of Directors, the Children and Family Futures Board of Directors, the Orange County United Way, the St. Jude Medical Center Advisory Board, the Family Preservation and Family Support Program for Vietnamese Families, and served on numerous county-based Advisory Councils including the American Red Cross, Rancho Santiago Community College District, Orange County Community Foundation, and Cal Optima, the county’s health care plan for low income residents, disabled, and disadvantaged children.

She received the Distinguished Graduate award from her undergraduate alma mater, and the university recently established an award in her honor to be given to a faculty member who contributes significantly to addressing the needs and concerns of the community.

She is the recipient of the “Crystal Elephant,” CSU Fullerton’s highest honor bestowed for “outstanding service as the dean of the College of Human Development and Community Service.” As a faculty member, she received recognition by both students and fellow faculty members, including being selected as a distinguished faculty member and faculty marshal. She was named “One of 10 Women Making a Difference” by Orange County Metro Magazine in 2000, and received the Education Advocate Award from the National Association of Women Business Owners, for her work in promoting educational access for all students.

Her professional associations include the MLE Program Alumni of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Millennium Leadership Class of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellowship Alumni.

Coley said “I am very thrilled” to be at CSUB. “One of the things that really appeals to me is the president’s and the campus’s bold vision that will not only benefit CSUB, but also the entire CSU system.

“Joining with the president and other vice presidents, faculty, staff and students in helping to “extend the academic excellence” is very exciting,” she continued. “I see myself as not only helping to create the parameters for an academic affairs framework that establishes our strategic directions and supports our vision, but also establishing discernable measurements that will allow us to monitor our continuous progress towards our goals.

“I am very energized by the campus; there are a lot of great things happening here. I know that as in any organization there will be challenges, but promoting an environment of mutual respect and trust among all the campus stakeholders is work that I’m excited about doing. I think the diversity of the community is a real strength and asset. We work earnestly to extend those CSU values of retaining access and creating opportunities. Our young people look to institutions such as ours to help shape a future in which they will experience economic and social wellbeing, and that’s the passion that I have about being a part of higher education.”

She’s well aware of the challenges in boosting the college-going rate in the San Joaquin Valley, but also is aware that as the nation’s and state’s economy has shifted from manufacturing to service to knowledge-based that an evolution has begun in Bakersfield and Kern County as well.

“Community development is very much tied to the economic structure of the county,” she said. “As we extend into new technologies, and new ways of doing things, the life of a community changes. And as the economic structure shifts, there’s a shift in how people need to be prepared to participate in the social and economic life of the county.

“I’m always optimistic; I’m not naïve about the challenges. There is a correlation between education and the economy of a community; we want CSUB to prepare individuals to fully participate in all aspects of the life of our community.”

She said the university will respond to the shifting community needs. “We want to track demographic trends so that we can respond appropriately to the needs and interests of different student population groups,” she said. “We want to have a multiplicity of approaches, because one approach doesn’t fit all students’ needs.

“This community is alive; there is an energy here that I really gravitate towards. There is also a belief in a great future ahead for this community, and I want to make sure that it is a bright educational future … and CSUB is certainly one of the beacons of light!”