ATLANTA – Valdosta State University President Richard Carvajal is stepping down to take a position as president of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.
Carvajal will remain at VSU through the end of the current semester before taking up his new job on Jan. 20, the university announced Wednesday.
Carvajal brought stability to Valdosta State when he took the reins there in 2017 as the university’s seventh president in eight years.
“Dr. Carvajal has led Valdosta State with a focus on student success and strengthening the university’s ties to the community,” University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “His steady leadership and deep commitment to South Georgia have made a difference, and I’m grateful for his service as we wish him and his family our best.”
“This decision has not been easy,” Carvajal added. “VSU has been my home for almost a decade. Serving alongside our incredible students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners has been among the greatest honors of my life. … While I now feel called to return to my first home in northern California, Valdosta State will always remain a part of me.”
Carvajal presided over a series of campus renovations during his tenure at VSU, while construction of a new $39 million performing arts center is well underway. Valdosta State also surpassed 3,000 in graduate student enrollment for the first time.
Before coming to Valdosta, Carvajal served as president of Bainbridge State College and co-led the consolidation of Darton State College and Albany State University.
“I have always believed that leaders should have the goal of leaving places better than they found them,” he said. “Working together with so many, we have most definitely made VSU and South Georgia better, and I know that the best is yet to come.”