Richard R. Rush became president of California State University Channel Islands in June 2001. As head of the 23rd and newest campus in the California State University system, Dr. Rush has hired the faculty and all administrative staff and overseen the creation and development of the University academic and physical master plans, the budget and financial structure, and the advancement organization.
Before arriving at CSUCI, Dr. Rush spent nine years as president of Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he established public-private partnerships that led to the first buildings in the State University system to be constructed using private financing. Similarly, Dr. Rush established ties between MSU and regional industry, the local community, and civic leaders who lobbied the Minnesota State Legislature on behalf of Southern Minnesota interests.
Prior to that, Dr. Rush played a key role in the founding of CSU San Marcos while serving as Vice President in Charge during site selection and program establishment. Subsequently, he served as Executive Vice President with responsibilities for accreditation, academic programs, student affairs, finance and administration, and fundraising.
The CSUCI president attended Gonzaga University, where he was graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree after pursuing studies in English, classics, and philosophy. He has a doctorate in English Renaissance literature from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed his dissertation while a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at The Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Subsequently, he joined the faculty at San Diego State University.
Dr. Rush serves on the boards of the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Ventura County, Casa Pacifica, and the Ventura County Community Foundation, among others. He also serves on the national board of the Campus Compact as well as being the statewide board chair for the California Campus Compact. He lives in Camarillo with his wife, Jane Lynch, Director of Institute Relations for the Gemological Institute of America. He has two daughters: Melissa, an attorney who was graduated from Stanford University and UCLA Law School, and Angela, an industrial broker who was graduated from San Diego State University and the University of San Diego Law School.
