Vanya Quiñones Appointed President of California State University, Monterey Bay

The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees has appointed Vanya Quiñones, Ph.D., to serve as the fourth president of California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). Quiñones currently serves as provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Pace University in New York.

“Earning a degree from CSUMB is a transformative experience that leads to life-changing opportunities for students and their families,” said Quiñones. “I am honored by this opportunity and eager to collaborate with the talented faculty, staff, administrators, students and all members of the CSUMB community as we collectively work to provide even greater access to a high-quality education and improve the achievement of our talented and diverse students.”

“Dr. Quiñones has served in a variety of roles during her decades of service as an educator, and in each of those roles she has continually demonstrated dedication to expanding diversity and improving student success,” said CSU Trustee Julia I. Lopez, chair of the CSUMB search committee. “Key measures of student success including graduation and retention rates continue to reach all-time highs at CSUMB, and Dr. Quiñones has the knowledge, skills, abilities and vision to lead the university to even greater heights.”

A neurobiologist, biopsychologist and noted researcher, Quiñones has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles. Over the course of a 20-plus-year career at the City University of New York (CUNY) – Hunter College, Quiñones served as an assistant, associate, and full professor in the Department of Psychology before being appointed to serve as the chair of the department. She was later promoted to the role of associate provost. In 2018, she was appointed to her current position of provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Pace University where she also holds the rank of full professor in the Department of Psychology. Her portfolio of responsibilities includes oversight of all academic and student-related academic offices and personnel as well as Institutional Technology.

Quiñones earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and master’s degree in cell biology, both from the University of Puerto Rico, and a Ph.D. in neurobiology and physiology from Rutgers University.

Quiñones will assume the campus presidency on August 15, 2022.