We are pleased to announce the appointment of Grace Cardenas-Leal as the Director of the Centers for Academic Excellence, effecive Jan. 2, 2014. Grace comes to us from CSU Monterey Bay where she was the Director of Academic and Career Advising Services.

As Director of the Centers for Academic Excellence, Ms. Cardenas-Leal will be responsible for building on existing student support programs at HSU (including the Native American Center for Academic Excellence and the Center for Academic Excellence in STEM) to develop, implement and oversee four identity-based Centers for Academic Excellence (CAEs), to include an African-American Center, an Asian-American & Pacific Islander Center, a Latino/a Center, and a Native American Center. The Director will also oversee the (already existing) MultiCultural Center. These Centers are a key component of HSU’s many current initiatives to support retention and academic excellence.