Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval serves as the ninth President of Fresno State, where he held previous appointments as Provost and Dean of Arts and Humanities. Prior to administration, Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval taught at Fresno State for almost 15 years in his areas of expertise: Spanish and Portuguese poetry.

As a national leader in higher education, Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval has served on the AASCU Board of Directors and chaired the AASCU Hispanic Affinity group. He has served on the MLI Executive Steering committee, USDA HACU Leadership Group, and the LEAD CA Executive Board. In his current role as President, he remains connected to students as a MSI Aspiring Leaders Presidential Mentor.

Within the California State University system, he has chaired both CSU-Water and the CSU BioTech committees, and holds appointments on the CSU Technology Steering Committee, CSU Financial Sustainability Workgroup and the CSU Black Excellence/Student Success Working Group.

Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval received dual B.A.s (cum laude), in History and in Spanish, from the University of California, Irvine. His M.A. and Ph.D. are in Spanish literature, also from UC Irvine. He has roots in Fowler, a city 15 minutes south of Fresno. His commitment to California’s Central Valley region and higher education forms his personal mission to promote its economic and cultural ascendency, bolstering the vitality of Central California as a preeminent hub in agriculture and the arts.

He and his wife, Dr. Mariana Anagnostopoulos, happily make Fresno their home with their two sons, Arion and Leo.

Current Term

2023 – 2026