Mary Papazian Will Be the Next President of San Jose State University

The California State University Board of Trustees has appointed Mary A. Papazian as president of San Jose State University. When she takes office on July 1, Dr. Papazian will be the university’s 29th president and the third woman president in San Jose State’s 159-year history.

The university enrolls more than 32,000 students. Women make up 48.3 percent of the more than 26,000 undergraduates at the university.

Currently, Dr. Papazian is president of Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. Before becoming president of SCSU, Dr. Papazian was provost and senior vice president at Lehman College in The Bronx, New York. Earlier she was dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and a professor of English at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Dr. Papazian is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles. She also earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in English literature at UCLA.