CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison
California State University, Northridge President Dianne F. Harrison has been reappointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), an interstate organization that facilitates resource sharing among the higher education systems of 15 states in the western United States as well as U.S. Pacific territories.
This is Harrison’s third appointment, beginning in 2011, to WICHE, a nonprofit organization established by Congress that houses a broad array of initiatives to support states, students and institutions throughout the American West. WICHE facilitates collaboration between state governments, undergraduate and graduate student interstate exchange agreements and provides data and policy analysis for educators, policymakers and governors. WICHE programs help save students hundreds of millions of dollars in tuition annually.
“It is an honor to continue representing California as WICHE works to advance student access and success,” said Harrison, who in 2014 served as chair of the commission. “Strengthening higher education provides a positive impact in people’s lives and on the economy.”
Harrison’s service to higher education includes prominent leadership positions for more than 80 national, state and local organizations. This summer she became the first academic leader elected to serve as vice chair of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).
“President Harrison’s service with WICHE provides access for students and advances prosperity for our entire region,” LAEDC CEO Bill Allen said. “Her dynamic leadership on the national stage continues to return resources and opportunities that benefit not only CSUN’s nearly 40,000 students but our local economy as well.”
In March Harrison was elected to a three-year term as a member of the American Council on Education (ACE) Board of Directors. ACE is the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, representing nearly 1,800 college and university presidents and the executives at related associations.
Harrison also serves on the board of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the NCAA Division I Committee on Academics, and the NCAA Board of Governors’ Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity, which she chairs.