San Diego

CSU Appoints New SDSU President

The new president of SDSU discusses admissions, Aztec Warrior mascot and more

The California State University Board of Trustees appointed Adela de la Torre, Ph.D. to the position of president at San Diego State University. 

The announcement was made early Wednesday in Long Beach. 

“I am just so excited to be at San Diego State,” said de la Torre Wednesday afternoon. “I feel the opportunities for success are many.” 

Here are some fast facts about de la Torre:

De la Torre will be the first woman to hold the position of president of SDSU. Sally Roush served as an interim president while the university searched for a replacement for former president Elliot Hirshman.

She earned a B.S. in political economy of natural resources and an M.S. and Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics all from the University of California, Berkeley.

Adela de la Torre is Vice Chancellor of UC Davis, overseeing the division of Student Affairs.

Her primary fields of research include childhood obesity and bi-national health. De la Torre is focused on issues of food insecurity, or uncertainty of where that next meal is coming from. 

"Food insecurity is a nationwide problem," said de la Torre. "I'm very interested in working with the leadership team on ensuring our students don't suffer from hunger." 

She adds on top of providing resources to students to make sure they can eat, it is also important to have access to nutritious meals, as many students in financially difficult times must resort to foods filled with saturated fats and sugar. 

Housing for students with financial hardship is also a focus for de la Torre. She said she will be focused on this issue as rent rates continue to go up in San Diego. 

"There's many needs when you talk about sustainability and health," said de la Torre. 

She was recognized by the American Society of Hispanic Economists (of which she was founding member) with its 2016 Academic Achievement Award. 

She also says that she will be listening to all sides of the controversy surrounding the Aztec Warrior mascot of SDSU before she makes a decision on whether or not to keep the tradition or choose a new mascot. 

As admissions applications continue to go up at San Diego State University, de la Torres says it is important to her that students applying to SDSU have equal opportunities during the admission process. 

Personally, de la Torres said she is an avid cyclist and cannot wait to explore San Diego on her bicycle. 

"I like to do spinning and aerobic activities as well," added de la Torres. 

She is also an advocate of shelter dog adoption and currently has four dogs, all rescues. 

But her biggest joy in life is being a grandmother to her grandson. 

"Your whole world changes when you become a grandparent," said de la Torre. "Being a grandparent has been very transformative for me."

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