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Remarks by Dr. Timothy P. White - November 9, 2019

Chancellor, The California State University
NAACP Long Beach Branch
Founders Gala and Awards Presentation
Acceptance Remarks (as prepared)​
Long Beach, California
​November 9, 2019

I want to begin by thanking the Long Beach Branch of the NAACP for this wonderful recognition… I am humbled and deeply honored. And while you are the ones handing out the honors tonight, I would like to take a moment to express my appreciation and gratitude for the remarkable work your organization has done over the course of its almost 80-year history – through scholarships, advocacy and outreach – to promote equity in higher education. Again, thank you.

The California State University is a unique institution at a consequential moment in time. The CSU is the largest and most ethnically, economically and academically diverse university in the United States at a time when a college degree has never been more necessary for a secure and prosperous future. And now, the most diverse generation in our country's history turns to the CSU for that degree, for the key to that brighter future. Our mission has never been more clear and it's never been more critical. We must ensure true equity of opportunity for all regardless of income, background, gender, race, ethnicity or status.

With my pending retirement, my tenure as Chancellor will end in the coming year. But I assure you that our mission will not. The CSU's commitment to equity runs deep – indeed, it is part of our DNA. It is the calling of our time, it is our moral imperative and it will remain our North Star.

Thank you once again for this profound honor. I accept it on behalf of the more than 50,000 faculty and staff whose skilled and dedicated work advances equity on a daily basis at the California State University.