An investiture ceremony will take place for California State University, Channel Islands President Richard Yao on Sept. 23 at the Broome Library plaza of the Camarillo school recognizing him as the school’s fourth president.
The investiture ceremony is traditionally held within a president’s first year and gives the campus and larger community an opportunity to celebrate a new era as the formal title and authority of the CSU system are conferred on the new president, according to a release from the university.
Yao has been serving at the helm of the university since he was appointed on an interim basis on Jan. 11 of last year and named as the permanent president on Jan. 26 of this year, the release said.
He identifies as Chinese Filipino American and is the first person of color to serve as president of CSU Channel Islands, the release added.
Provost Mitch Avila said that Yao was the right leader at the right time for Cal State Channel Islands.
“We rarely see a leader with these qualities: visionary, data-informed, and hard-working,” Avila said in a statement. “His inspirational leadership for CSUCI is grounded in an unwavering and genuine commitment to our students and the region, built on the promise of higher education as a social escalator for our students.”
The investiture ceremony coincides with the 20th anniversary of the university as the first and only four-year public education institution in Ventura County.
As Cal State Channel Islands begins its third decade, Yao’s emphasis is communicated in the campus’s 20th Anniversary theme: “Honoring the Past – Building the Future,” the school’s release said.
The colorful ceremony will also incorporate this theme. It will include a traditional academic procession featuring guests who hold a master’s degree or higher from any institution of higher learning. Those in the academic procession will wear their alma mater’s cap, gown and any other academic regalia, the release said.
Associate Professor of Performing Arts/Music, KuanFen Liu, will conduct a performance featuring members of the university chorus, and the Cal State Channel Islands Performing Arts/Dance program will perform a dance choreographed to reflect the theme “past, present and future,” the release added.