After five years of dedicated service to UHD, President Loren J. Blanchard has accepted an offer by the California State University’s Board of Trustees to serve as president of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). He will leave UHD on April 30, 2026, and start in his new role May 1.
With a distinguished career in higher education that spans 35 years, President Blanchard assumed leadership of UHD in March 2021. During his tenure, he led the university through a comprehensive strategic plan implementation and tracking process; increased institutional funding through grants, foundation gifts and legislative appropriations at both state and federal levels, improving the university’s operational portfolio; secured support for expansion of the campus; strengthened community relations; built strategic alliances and optimized student success through integrated initiatives.
“This announcement is bittersweet,” said Blanchard. “From my first encounter with UHD, I was drawn to its commitment to higher education access and its potential as an agent of change. I am proud of the number of students graduating from UHD each year with degrees of value that have equipped them to lead both in their communities and in their fields. UHD’s impact on social and economic mobility is consequential for the city, state and region, changing the trajectory for graduates and their families for generations to come.”
University of Houston System Chancellor Renu Khator expressed mixed feelings about Blanchard’s transition. “Given his exceptional leadership of UHD, I am sad to see him go,” Khator said. “I am confident that he will excel at Cal State Long Beach and look forward to hearing about his continued success.”
The CSULB presidency will be a return to the CSU system for Blanchard. He previously served six years as the CSU’s executive vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, where he led the development of Graduation Initiative 2025, the CSU’s 10-year student success effort that resulted in improved educational outcomes across the system. Blanchard will oversee a university with an enrollment of 42,000 students, making it one of the largest institutions in the CSU system.
Blanchard’s other past leadership positions include provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs at Xavier University of Louisiana, associate vice chancellor for Academic and Multicultural Affairs at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and two roles within the University of Louisiana system: provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs and associate vice president for Accreditation, Leadership & Accountability.
A first-generation college graduate, Blanchard holds a bachelor's degree in speech pathology education from Xavier University of Louisiana, a master's degree in education from McNeese State University, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Georgia.