San Diego State University has a new president.
Elliot Hirshman, provost and senior vice president at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, was announced Wednesday as successor to Stephen Weber, who will step down this summer following a 15-year tenure.
"It is a tremendous honor to be chosen to serve as the next president of San Diego State," Hirshman said. "This university has unlimited potential, and I look forward to working with students, faculty, staff and the community to continue building on its foundation of excellence."
Hirshman oversaw all aspects of the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s academic program, ranging from research, enrollment and financial aid to Division I athletics.
The California State University Board of Trustees selected Hirshman from a three-finalist field.
CSU trustee Linda Lang called Hirshman “someone who can continue the considerable progress made by President Weber over the past 15 years.”
Among his other experience, Hirshman was the Department of Psychology chair at the University of Colorado at Denver from 2000 to 2002.
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He then undertook the same position at George Washington University while also serving as the university’s chief research officer to 2005.
Hirshman earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics form Yale University and a master’s degree and Ph.D in cognitive psychology at the University of California Los Angeles.
At New York University, he was a post-doctoral fellow on a National Institute of Mental Health Fellowship.
Other finalists were Paul Zingg, president of California State University Chico, and Steven Leath, vice president for research and sponsored programs for the University of North Carolina system.
