Joseph Castro says CSU struggles with pandemic-related problems such as how to approach physical space and technological issues. He hopes to provide more on-campus study spaces by spring or summer.

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

California State University is the largest four-year public university system in the country, and now it's got a new chancellor. His name is Joseph Castro. He is the first person of color to lead the school. He's Latino, and that background reflects the majority of the nearly half a million students he serves. Forty-three percent of Cal State students are Latino, 62% are students of color. Because of the pandemic, classes at Cal State will be online all year. Our co-host, Noel King, talked with Castro.

NOEL KING, HOST:

What was the most difficult thing when you were in college about being a first-generation student that will inform the way you lead?

JOSEPH CASTRO: Well, I remember vividly how challenging it was for my family to, first, let me go. Because they loved me so much, and they were scared. They didn't understand why I would go from a small town just south of Fresno to a big university at Berkeley. And it was overwhelming for them and for me.

And I remember some of those early days and weeks when I was trying to find my way. I didn't understand really what a university was. And I think it takes time for first-generation college students to understand the landscape. And the reason why I serve now is because I want to make sure that we remove barriers for them, that we help them - all students, but especially our first generation of college students - we help them to succeed by having a wide range of services and support that they can use whenever they need them.

KING: And I imagine your parents have no regrets about having let you go now, do they?

CASTRO: Not now. I was raised by a single mother and by my grandparents. And it was the first time in my life that I had ever done anything that they didn't really want me to do.

KING: (Laughter).

CASTRO: And so it was a big deal. But by the end of the year, I think they understood it, and certainly, by graduation, they got it.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: You've probably got many kids in situations where I don't have my own bedroom, I don't have a computer, we don't have Wi-Fi in the house, or we don't have regular Wi-Fi in the house. How are you supporting low-income students who, logistically, are going to have a really hard time doing college online?

CASTRO: It's quite the challenge because we've built structures here historically on university campuses so that we remove barriers for them when they're here. So this is the ultimate challenge to have to pivot in a way where those services can only be offered, for the most part, virtually. So we've lent, here at Fresno State, about 8,000 iPads and mobile hotspots.

But it is quite the challenge because I do know students that don't have adequate space at home. So even if we address the technology challenge, it's really tough for some of them to find space. And my hope is that as the pandemic evolves and hopefully eases, that we'll be able to provide more study spaces that are safe for them here on the campus, perhaps in the spring, if not by, you know, the summertime. I certainly hope that that can happen.

KING: You are Mexican American, and you are the first person of color to take on this role. When you reflect on what that means, what goes through your mind?

CASTRO: I feel so gratified to be able to serve California, to be the first Californian, actually, to serve in this position as well, as the first Mexican American. And I hope that my lived experiences will not only help me to be an effective leader as chancellor, but I hope that it will inspire all of our students, and especially those who are first generation of college and students of color, to see that somebody like them can succeed with a higher education. And I'm hopeful that that will inspire them to be focused on their own goals and to be successful.

KING: Chancellor-select Joseph Castro, thank you for taking the time to do this, and congratulations on your appointment.

CASTRO: Thank you, Noel. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.