Administration: Senior Administration
- Dr. John D. Welty, President
- William A. Covino, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Dr. Peter N. Smits, Vice President for University Advancement
- Dr. Paul M. Oliaro, Vice President for Student Affairs
- Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer
- Thomas Boeh, Director of Athletics
Dr. John D. Welty, President
Dr. John D. Welty has been president of California State University, Fresno since July 29, 1991. He is also a professor in the Kremen School of Education & Human Development. Since 1991 the university has become recognized as one of the nation’s best engaged universities, expanded minority enrollment, created an Honors College, added new academic programs and institutes, and constructed $404.3 million in facilities, including a new $102-million library. As a national leader in higher education, Dr. Welty has served on both of the CSU system’s major strategic planning efforts and helped create the Voluntary System of Accountability, which has been adopted by more than 200 colleges and universities. He co-chaired the CSU’s CALState Teach project, an innovative program designed for emergency credentialed teachers. He also serves as chair of the CSU Gender Equity Monitoring Committee and serves on the Central California Campus Compact executive board. He was elected to serve as WASC Commissioner in 2000 and served a three year term as the WASC Commission chair. He is past chair of the American Humanics, Inc. Board and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and WAC Board of Directors. He served on the NCAA Board Executive Committee and the special NCAA Task Force on the Future of Intercollegiate Athletics. Locally, Dr. Welty has been a leader in establishing the Fresno Business Council, the Central Valley Business Incubator, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, the Collaborative Regional Initiative, the Regional Jobs Initiative, the Kenneth L. Maddy Institute and several other partnerships. Previously, Dr. Welty served as president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania for seven years. Prior to assuming the presidency of IUP, he served as vice president for Student and University Affairs for four years. Dr. Welty received his bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Western Illinois University, Macomb, in 1965; his master’s in College Student Personnel Services from Michigan State University in 1967; and his doctorate in Administration of Higher Education from Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1974. Dr. Welty and his wife, Dr. Sharon Brown-Welty, have five children and three grandchildren.
Visit the website for the Office of the President
William A. Covino, Provost And Vice President for Academic Affairs
William A. Covino became Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs on July 6, 2009. The Provost is the university’s chief academic officer, providing leadership for the University’s eight schools and colleges, grants and research, the library, continuing and global education, and other academic units of the university. The Provost coordinates and implements academic goals, educational policy, curricular planning and development, academic program review, academic personnel actions, faculty and staff development, resource development and allocation, assessment of student learning, professional and regional accreditation, and strategic and master academic planning. Covino’s administrative priorities and accomplishments have included developing and expanding distinctive academic programs; building greater support for applied scholarly research; improving student learning outcomes; increasing the diversity of faculty, staff and administrators; increasing fundraising and partnership opportunities; and encouraging community engagement across the curriculum. Provost Covino came to California State University, Fresno after serving as Provost at California State University, Stanislaus, and as Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Florida Atlantic University. He has also held faculty positions at the University of Illinois at Chicago and San Diego State University. His undergraduate and graduate teaching has included courses on rhetoric and literature, and his scholarly record features numerous chapters, articles, and reviews, as well as five books on rhetoric, literacy, imagination, and persuasion. Provost Covino received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Southern California in 1981.
Visit the website for Academic Affairs
Dr. Peter N. Smits, Vice President for University Advancement
Dr. Peter Smits serves as Vice President for University Advancement at California State University, Fresno. As a member of the President’s Cabinet, he is responsible for Fresno State’s programs in alumni relations, development and fundraising, and university communications. Fresno State is in the public phase of its first comprehensive campaign, scheduled to end in June 2012. The campaign has reached 80 percent of goal. One campaign highlight includes the largest cash gift in the history of the CSU. Dr. Smits is a member of the CASE District VII board of directors. He chaired the membership committee for two years, now chairs the professional development committee, and is secretary-elect. He is the most senior vice president in the California State University system and was the inaugural chair of the CSU Council of Vice Presidents. He is past president of the Central California chapter of AFP and a recipient of that chapter’s Fundraising Executive of the Year award. Prior to his appointment at Fresno State, he served as Vice President for Advancement at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in western Pennsylvania. He has also served as Executive Assistant to the Chancellor at Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Vice President for College Relations and Development at the State University of New York at Brockport and Dean of Students at The College of White Plains in New York. Dr. Smits earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the State University of New York at Albany, and his Ph.D. from the University of Buffalo.
Visit the website for University Advancement
Dr. Paul M. Oliaro, Vice President for Student Affairs
Paul M. Oliaro has served as the Vice President for Student Affairs since fall semester 2002. He is responsible for the areas of Enrollment Services, which includes outreach, admission, records, evaluation and financial aid, scholarships, and international student services; University Health and Psychological Services; Federal Programs and campus discipline; Student Success Services, which includes advising, the Learning Center, Educational Opportunity Program and other academic support services; and Student Life, which includes student activities/leadership, career services, center for women’s and culture, services for students with disabilities; student recreation center and the University Student Union. He also serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Athletic Cooperation, Chairperson of the campus Alcohol Safety Council and is Co-Chair of the Student Success Task Force with the Provost. Dr. Oliaro received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota, and attained his master’s degree and Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at Michigan State University.
Visit the website for Student Affairs
Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer
Cynthia Teniente-Matson became the Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer of the university in March 2004. She came to Fresno State from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, where she served as Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services. Over a 15-year career at the University of Alaska, she held numerous positions including Associate Vice Chancellor for Budget and Finance and Director of Business Services. Matson’s responsibilities at Fresno State include financial services, capital projects, facilities management, human resources, information technology, University Police Department and auxiliary services. She serves as chair of the California State University, Fresno Association, Inc. Board of Directors and serves on numerous other campus committees. Matson has over two decades experience in higher education and holds multiple leadership positions. She is the current board chair of the National Association for College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), a role she says is a great honor and a privilege. She currently serves on the Central Valley Business Incubator (CVBI) and United Way Boards of Directors. She is senior past president of the Western Association of College and University Business Officers (WACUBO). Matson has a wide range of public service including past-chair of the Fresno Council of Government’s Measure C Citizens Oversight Committee and past board member for Leadership California, and Special Olympics of Alaska amongst others. She also served as a Judge for the Miss California Pageant. She is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars. Matson also chairs the California State University Risk Management Authority, a separate quasi-public entity which oversees all pooled group insurance and related risk management functions. Matson earned her Bachelor of Arts in 1989 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Management and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1998.
Visit the website for Administrative Services
Thomas Boeh, Director of Athletics
Thomas C. Boeh has served as the Director of Athletics since July 2005. He was charged to stabilize, reform and revitalize the athletics program at Fresno State. As a result of this charge, the Department of Athletics has been entirely restructured with a new senior administrative team. Special emphasis has been placed upon a consistent and value-based approach to decision-making, as well as clearly delineating areas of responsibilities with built-in accountability. Considerable attention has been directed towards creating a progressive student-athlete environment and strict adherence to well-defined NCAA compliance protocols and standards. The success of Bulldog student-athletes throughout the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years culminated Fresno State’s first - and then back-to-back - Western Athletic Conference Commissioner’s Cups. Additionally, Sports Illustrated’s SI.com ranked Fresno State the nation’s 18th most accomplished NCAA Division I athletics program for 2007-08. Boeh spent the previous 10 years as the Director of Athletics at Ohio University. In 2001, The Sporting News ranked Ohio’s department 32nd among the 115 NCAA I-A institutions, the highest ranking of any non-BCS program. Prior to his tenure at Ohio, Boeh served as Associate Director of Athletics for External Affairs at Northwestern University, overseeing areas such as development, marketing, ticket operations, sports publications, media services, game management and broadcast properties. Before Northwestern, he was at the University of Maine as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Administration and Development. He has also spent time in a variety of roles with the Big Ten Television Network, The University of Illinois, and his alma mater, Loras College of Iowa. A Chicago-area native, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education with a minor in History at Loras, and a Master of Science degree in Athletic Administration from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
Visit the website for Division of Athletics