San Diego State introduced its next president to the campus community during a welcome reception held a week after her name was announced.
Adela de la Torre took the stage in Montezuma Hall to address the university for the first time Thursday morning, joined by current SDSU President Sally Roush, Associated Students President Chimezie Ebiriekwe and the rest of the presidential search committee.
The newly-appointed president and current UC Davis administrator came out in support of SDSU West.
“Expansions are complicated and require dedicated long term efforts,” de la Torre said. “The benefits (of the expansion) to San Diego State and San Diego are worth the hard work.”
De la Torre also addressed undocumented students Thursday.
She created one of the first AB540 and undocumented student centers at UC Davis, and previously told The Daily Aztec that centers like these were important to students.
“I also want to highlight that I support our faculty, staff and students in accessing the American dream, regardless of their immigration status,” de la Torre said on Thursday. “We are here together.”
In Spanish, she told the crowd: “Everyone at San Diego State will receive the same opportunity to reach their own point of success.”
SDSU Undocumented Resource Area Coordinator Cynthia Torres got a chance to speak with de la Torre after the speech.
“I told her I was very anxious to work with her and that I appreciated very deeply the comment she made about our undocumented students,” Torres said. “That’s part of social justice. That’s part of who we are as a campus.”
Professor of Chicana/o studies Roberto Hernandez said he has been following de la Torre’s academic career and is interested to see what changes she will bring to campus.
“She has a proven track record of advancing diversity in the student body and in the (academic) field itself,” Hernandez said.
Ebiriekwe, who was part of the presidential selection committee, expressed his excitement for the new president and shared the qualities that made de la Torre stand out from other candidates.
“She dreams big, and here at San Diego State everyone dreams big,” Ebiriekwe said. “San Diego State is headed in the right direction. President Roush helped us continue in that direction and President de la Torre is going to be the one to push us all the way.”
Students also said they are excited to see a new face who represents change as their university president.
“I think it’s awesome that we have a (permanent) female president,” Ebony Price, a teaching credential student, said. “I’m excited to see what she has in store for us.”
De la Torre will leave her current position as vice chancellor for student affairs and campus diversity at UC Davis to take over as president of SDSU in late June.
